J 





WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT, 
President of the United States. 



THE 
CELEBRATION OF THE 

Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary 

OF THE 

Settlement of the Town of Norwich 

CONNECTICUT 

AND OF THE 

INCORPORATION OF THE CITY 
The One Hundred and Twenty-Fihh 

July 4, 5, 6, 1909 



BY WILLIAM C. OILMAN 



NORWICH, 1912 




i-" 



By transfer 
The White Hou8« 
March 3rd, 1913 



"'3 d^Z 



CONTENTS 



Foreword, ...... 

Officers and Executive Committee, . 
Introduction, Part I, .... 

Introduction, Part II, Norwich, 1859 to 1909 
The Quarter Millennial Celebration, . 
First Day. Services at Up-town Burying Ground, 
Second Day. Reception of President Taft, . 
Historical Pageant, ...... 

The Procession, ...... 

President Taft's Address on Chelsea Parade, 
Third Day. Presentation of Memorial Fountain, 
Literary Exercises at Broadw^ay Theater, . 
Financial Statement, ..... 



Appendix. Official Program, . 

Alilitary and Civic Parade, 

Loan Exhibit at Converse Art Gallery, 

Sermons, ..... 

Letters from Absentees, . 

Notes on Persons and Places, . 



5 

7 

9 

20 

53 
66 

80 
80 
82 
82 

87 

97 

143 

145 
152 
169 
178 
198 
204 




I'RAXK 1!. WRI'.KS. 
Goveniur of llic Slate of CoiuKclicul. 



FOREWORD 

Several public-spirited citizens of Norwich, who felt 
that an event so important and interesting as the celebra- 
tion in 1909, of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary 
of the settlement of the town ought to be commemorated 
in a permanent form, invited me in the autumn of 191 1 to 
undertake the work which I have now accomplished purely 
as a labor of love. 

This endeavor to show what Norwich celebrated, why 
it celebrated and how it celebrated, and to set forth its 
prosperity in each decade of its long history justifies a 
large measure of pride in the Town as it is to-day, and of 
confidence that the coming generation, inspired by the 
example of those who are now building on the foundation 
laid by their forefathers, will continue the good work in 
anticipation of a still more illustrious future. 

W. C. G. 

Norwich Town, December 20, 191 1. 




Akriii-K I). L.\Tiikni>. 
•si Srl.Tlni.in— 'i'own el Xdrwicli. 







CosiKl.I.n l.ll'lMl r, 
Mavur of ihc ('ily nf N'onvicli, 



Norwich Quarter Millennial Celebration 



OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 

President : 

Winslow Tracy A\'illiams. 

Vice-Presidents : 

Edwin A. Tracy, Jeremiah J. Desmond, 

John Eccles, John McWilliams, 

Gen. AVilliam A. Aiken. 

Treasurer : 

Col. Charles W. Gale. 

Secretary: 

Gilbert S. Raymond. 

Assistant Secretary: 
Grosvenor Ely. 

Executive Committee: 

Edwin A. Tracy, Chairman, 
Dr. P. H. Harriman, Arthur D. Lathrop, 

John Porteous, Albert L. Potter, 

William B. Young, Henry A. Tirrell, 

James B. Shannon, Charles D. Noyes, 

Timothy C. Murphy, Howard L. Stanton, 

Albert S. Comstock. 




Wixsi.ow Tracy Williams, 

Presitk-iit of the General Committee. 

Viee-Chairman of the rixeeutive Cmnmittec, 




l-jiwiN AvKuv Tkacv, 

Cliainnan of \hv h'.xecntive Committee. 

First Vice-President of tiie (leneral Ci)nnnittei 




J. J. Desmonh. Gilbert S. Raymond. 

Members of the Executive Committee. 





Coi.. Charles W. Gale. 



P. 11. ilAKUlMAX, M. D. 





JOHX POKTEDUS. .A.L1'.EKT L. roTl'EK. 

McmhiT'- lit the I'.xcciitixc Cnnmiittce. 





William B. Voung. 



HeNKV a. TlRKELL. 





James B. Shannon. Charles D. Noyes. 

Members of the Executive Committee. 





Timothy C. AIiri'IIY. 



IlowAKii L. Staxtox. 





Ai.iiKkT S. Com STOCK. GkosvKXoK I-:i.v. 

Members of the F.xeculive Committee. 



The Quarter Millennial Celebration of the 
Settlement of Norwich. 

July 4, 5 and 6, 1909. 

INTRODUCTION. PART I. 

The History of Norwich for the two hundred years 
following the foundation under the rocks on the up-town 
green in 1659 has been fully set forth by Frances Manvvar- 
ing Caulkins, whose history, says a discriminating writer, 
"is one of the fullest and best of those volumes of local 
lore that afflict American historical writers with an excess 
of authentic material." The fruits of her researches are 
household words, and by them she will be held in ever- 
lasting remembrance. 

'The Old Houses of the Antient Town of Norwich" 
by Mary E. Perkins, published in 1895, gives an account 
of all the buildings on the main roads from Mill Lane 
(Lafayette street) to the meeting house on the up-town 
green, and of their owners and occupants from the settle- 
ment to the year 1800, and contains, in addition to one 
hundred and thirty-two illustrations, maps, and portraits, 
invaluable historic and genealogic records, the result of 
her indefatigable and exhaustive investigations. 

These two works and the historical discourses at the 
Bi-centennial celebration in 1859, by Daniel Coit Oilman, 
John Arnold Rockwell, the Right Reverend Bishop Alfred 
Lee, and Donald Grant Mitchell — all of them sons of 
Norwich — published in John W. Stedman's "Report of the 
Celebration," together with numerous magazine articles and 
the transactions of historical societies, have completed the 
town history for two hundred years so far as it can be 
completed, unless, indeed, unsuspected treasures that have 
hitherto escaped the closest scrutiny shall be discovered 
in family archives or public records. 



10 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

It would be an interesting task to re-write the history 
of the town in the light of all these publications, to combine 
them, as it were, in one composite picture, but to do this, 
adequately, would be to exceed by far the limits of this 
volume. It is well, moreover, to give heed to the words 
of Judge Nathaniel Shipman, an honored son of honorable 
Norwich ancestors : "No living man can do justice to the 
town of Norwich : Few living men will ever undertake 
it, and if they do they will be apt to fail — and it is inex- 
pedient for us to attempt to do anything more than simply 
to say we loved the town when we were boys, we love 
it now when we are men, and we want to say so." 

The^ history of the town for the last half century, 
however, has not been written, nor can it be written in 
just proportion until time shall have given atmosphere and 
perspective to events that seemed to the men and women 
engaged in them of supreme importance, but have faded 
from memory like a dream. 

At an early period the original "nine miles square," 
by reason of its topographical formation, naturally became 
a group of small districts, Norwich, Franklin, Bozrah, 
Lisbon, and Preston. After these had been set off as 
separate towns, in 1786, the parent settlement, retaining 
the name Norwich, gradually became, as it continues to 
be, a cluster of semi-detached villages radiating from the 
Landing as a common center, and including "the pleasant 
plains of Chelsea half a mile from the Norwich port," the 
Falls, Up-town, Bean Hill, Yantic, West-side, Thames- 
ville, Laurel Hill, East Norwich, Greeneville, Taftville, 
and Occum. These are surrounded by hills. Plain Hill, 
Ox Hill, Wawecus Hill, and others, occupied for the most 
part as farms and woodlands. These villages have some- 
times been fancifully regarded as the petals of the Rose of 
New England. The authorship of this felicitous appella- 
tion has been ascribed to Henry Ward Beecher, but it 
does not appear in his published writings, not even in his 
famous Norwich "Star Paper," which, after sixty years, 



THE ROSE OF NEW ENGLAND. 1 1 

is Still as perfect a pen picture of the old town as if he 
had written it in 1909, 

This tradition as to the name, received by Jonathan 
Trumbull from Edward T. Clapp, remains undisputed, 
and may be accepted as veritable history. When the 
Committee on Decorations for the Bi-centennial cele- 
bration in 1859 was considering an appropriate desig- 
nation for the town, the chairman, James Lloyd Greene, 
said, "Well, she is a rose, anyway !" "Yes," responded Mr. 
Clapp, "Norwich is the rose of New England." The 
suggestion was accepted, and on an arch under which the 
procession marched, on Broadway near Broad street, were 
inscribed the memorable words, "Norwich, the Rose of 
New England." "That which we call a rose by any other 
name would smell as sweet," and whether Norwich be called 
Dorothy Perkins, or Killarney, or General Jacqueminot, it 
will still be the American Beauty, the Rose of New England. 

Comparatively few are living to-day who remember 
the celebration of 1859. Of the prominent men who served 
actively on the various committees scarcely a score remain. 
All the settled pastors of Norwich, all the leading 
physicians, most of the prominent lawyers, the special 
orators of the day, the after-dinner speakers, have departed, 
and, most distinguished of all. Governor AVilliam A. 
Buckingham, whose grace and dignity as the presiding 
ofificer were undisturbed by forebodings of the impending 
national conflict — not two 3^ears in the future — in which 
his patriotic services were to gain for him lasting renown 
as Connecticut's great War Governor. 

A new generation has come upon the stage, new faces 
are seen in the windows and in the streets, new preachers 
are in the pulpits, new lawyers at the bar, new doctors at 
the bedside, and names once familiar on sign boards in 
the business districts have been replaced in large measure 
by those of new comers from foreign lands. 

When Rip Van Winkle, awaking from his long sleep 
in the mountains, stretched his rheumatic limbs, and, calling 
in vain for his dog Schneider, made his solitary way to his 



12 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

old home, he was dumbfounded to find the lazy Httle hamlet 
of Falling Water grown to be the thriving, bustling village 
of Catskill. New times had come, new faces, new manners 
and customs. The friends of his youth had gone, and the 
boys and girls had grown up past recognition. The 
Revolutionary war had been fought and ended. The 
successors of those who in the good old colony times 
had lived under King George the third were casting their 
ballots for President George Washington. The successive 
changes of twenty years seemed to him the miraculous 
transformations of a single night. 

If any survivor of the Norwich Bi-centennial could 
in a moment roll back the wheels of time for half a century, 
and, reversing the moving picture, could see Norwich as 
it was in 1859, his amazement would be as great as was 
Rip Van Winkle's. The same skies, the same rocks and 
hills, the same rivers and meadows, all that was created 
b}' God, would stand forth in perennial beauty, but the 
work of man would appear strangely quaint and crude ; "the 
old houses of the antient town" would seem asleep, and the 
daily life of the good people, their habits and customs, dull 
and old fashioned. He would look in vain for the comforts 
and conveniences of modern civilization, and would realize 
that the golden days were not in the past but in the present 
and the future, and that, on the firm foundation laid by the 
fathers a new Norwich had arisen, surpassing all that was 
dreamed of in their philosophy. 

With no purpose of writing a history of the town and 
still less of the nation for the last fifty years, it may not be 
inappropriate to review briefly some of the momentous 
events of the period that have deeply concerned the nation 
and therefore the town, as well. 

Of these events, foremost in time and importance was 
the war for the Union, beginning with the attack on Fort 
Sumter in April, 1861, and ending with the surrender at 
Appomattox in April, 1864. To every household in the 
land, north and south, the war brought deep sorrow for 
the loss of kindred and friends, and, to many, peculiar 



NORWICH IN WAR FOR THE UNION. 1 3 

hardship and even destitution, but it determined forever 
that no state may of its own voHtion secede from the Union; 
it abolished slavery, and guaranteed that the right of no 
citizen of the United States to vote shall be abridged on 
account of race, color or previous condition of servitude. 
Jn the prolonged conflict Norwich did her full share of loyal, 
patriotic service. Her citizens poured out money for the 
cause like water; her sons eagerly volunteered for active 
service ; mothers, sisters, wives, like ministering angels 
of mercy, co-operating with the constituted authorities, were 
unceasing in their efforts to relieve suft'ering on the field 
and in hospitals, and as far as possible to mitigate the 
horrors of war. 

Norwich has not forgotten those valiant women, nor 
has she forgotten her sons who laid down their lives for 
their country, nor the scarred veterans of the war wdio still 
survive. The flowers and flags that mark the graves of 
the departed heroes, year after year on Memorial Day, 
tell a sad yet inspiring story to many hearts. 

On Chelsea Parade in 1873 ^ monument was "erected 
by the town of Norwich in memory of her brave sons who 
voluntarily entered the military service of the United States 
in defence of the national government during the rebellion." 
At a later day (1902), a granite monument was placed on 
the Little Plain in honor of the 26th Regiment of Connecti- 
cut Volunteers, which numbered 825 men, of whom 52 were 
killed, 142 wounded, and 84 died in the service. 

In 1903 Hannah Lathrop Ripley narrated her personal 
reminiscences of the war in an address before the alumni 
association of the Norwich Free Academy in behalf of 
a fund for a bronze tablet, placed within the building, 
bearing the names of Academy boys who were engaged in 
the conflict. 

In March, 1898, Sedgwick Post, No. i. Grand Army 
of the Republic, acquired the commodious house and land 
on Main Street that had been for many years the residence 
of Governor William A. Buckingham. The purchase money 
was supplied by the Post with the aid of patriotic citizens. 



14 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

It is an interesting fact that four presidents of the United 
States have been received under its hospitable roof. The 
Buckingham Memorial is more than a monument to the 
officers and soldiers of Sedgwick Post. It worthily com- 
memorates one who as merchant, manufacturer, philan- 
thropist, benefactor of Yale University, the Broadway 
Church and the Norwich Free Academy, as Mayor of 
Norwich, twice elected, as presidential elector in 1856, as 
Governor from 1858 to 1866, and as United States Senator 
from 1869 to 1875 was illustrious as the most distinguished 
citizen of the town of Norwich. 

The story of "Norwich in connection with the war for 
the Union," and the "Necrology of the War in relation to 
Norwich" are recorded so fully in Miss Caulkins's History, 
edition of 1S74, and in the Rev. Malcolm McG. Dana's 
"Norwich in the Rebellion," published in 1872, that repeti- 
tion here is unnecessary. Mr. Dana's work is a worthy 
tribute to the brave men who went forth to defend their 
imperilled country, and records with painstaking accurac}^ 
their names, their sufferings, achievements, and triumphant 
valor. 

Borrowing again, in substance, the language of Judge 
Shipman, it may be added that "the characteristics which 
most prominently mark the town of Norwich are earnest, 
impulsive, quickly responsive and fervent patriotism, 
restrained by devotion to truth and by a sense of the 
supremacy of justice .... And so it has gone on : in 
every field where patriotism and devotion to liberty were 
to be found, there the sons of Norwich have gone. I need 
not tell you in what a magnificent way and with what 
a magnificent record this town came to the front in 1861. 
I think that no town of similar size made, during that 
terrible struggle, a record which can at all equal or which 
can at all compare with it. Norwich gave her best to the 
principles in which she believed." 

Notwithstanding the sorrows and losses of the war, 
so enormous were the demands of the army upon manu- 
facturers, merchants, and farmers for clothing, arms, and 



EXPANSION OF NATIONAL DOMAIN. I 5 

agricultural products, and so lavish were the expenditures 
of the government in paper money, and so large were the 
incomes of all who were engaged in active business, that 
Norwich during the war and the years immediately follow- 
ing appeared to be at the flood tide of financial prosperity. 

Subsequent to the restoration of peace and the recon- 
struction period, most noteworthy is the vast expansion of 
the national domain, first, by the purchase of Alaska from 
Russia in 1867, and, then, thirty years later, by the 
annexation of Hawaii ; and, later still, by the acquisition 
of Porto Rico, the Philippines and other smaller islands in 
the Pacific as lawful spoils resulting from the war with 
Spain in 1898, and finally, by the "taking" of the Panama 
Canal Zone by President Roosevelt in 1904, making in all 
an addition of over three-quarters of a million square miles 
(753,984), to the territory of the United States. Simul- 
taneously, the population of the continental United States 
increased nearly three fold (from 31,443,321 in i860, to 
91,972,226 in 1910) and the total population, including the 
insular possessions, is over one hundred and one millions 
(101,100,000). 

Comparing small things with great it may be observed 
that the borders of Norwich have been extended by the 
annexation of Laurel Hill and a portion of Preston, and that 
its population has increased from 14,048 to 28,219 in fifty 
years. 

With this vast increase in the territor}'- and population 
of the United States, facilities for transportation by land 
and by water have increased in corresponding ratio. On 
the ocean the supremacy of the Cunard line of steamers has 
been successfully challenged by many competitors, with the 
result that the time between England and New York has 
been reduced one-half since 1859, and the magnificent 
steamships of to-day with every appliance for safety and 
comfort have practically banished sailing vessels from the 
sea. On the land, also, transcontinental trains have 
diminished by one-half the time to all important points and^ 
with improved passenger coaches, parlor cars, sleeping cars. 



l6 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

dining cars, safety brakes, and vestibules, absolutely 
unknown fifty years ago, have lessened the risks and cor- 
respondingly increased the comfort in traveling. 

In the last fifty years Norwich has participated in 
the excitement of thirteen presidential campaigns from 
Abraham Lincoln to William Howard Taft, and has stood 
aghast with horror at the assassination of three honored 
presidents of the United States, Lincoln, Garfield, and 
McKinley. In all these campaigns, however warmly con- 
tested, the opposing parties, sensible that differences of 
opinion are not incompatible with loyalty to the funda- 
mental principles of the constitution, have accepted the 
results of the elections as final and conclusive, and the people 
of Norwich in particular, of whatever political faith, have 
forgotten minor differences in their intense spirit of 
patriotism, and have been conspicuous for their allegiance to 
the supreme law of the land. 

In 1859 ocean telegraphy was in its infancy. In 1909 
there were no less than five independent cable lines to 
Europe, and, by the aid of the telephone — regarded as 
a toy if not a "fake" thirty-six years ago — a merchant on 
Main street, or a farmer on Wawecus Hill could communi- 
cate with the uttermost part of the earth and receive a reply 
in a few hours without so much as leaving his own door. 
The "wireless," the most marvellous invention of the age, 
is no longer a novelty. Incoming vessels report themselves 
hundreds of miles at sea, and the Navy Department at 
Washington is perfecting arrangements for direct communi- 
cation with every United States v/ar ship on either ocean. 

The extension of the mail service since 1859, and the 
reduction in postage rates keep Norwich in touch with 
more than sixty thousand domestic post offices. Within the 
memory of many who are now living five cents was the 
lowest rate for letter postage. In 1909 a two-cent stamp 
would carry a letter to any of the possessions of the United 
States, to England, or to Shanghai. Free delivery in towns 
by carriers, rural delivery over fifty thousand routes, money 
orders, letter registration were unknown in 1859, and 



EDUCATION AND BENEFICENCE. 1 7 

although these agencies are not directly employed every 
day by every man and woman in Norwich they neverthe- 
less enter into all the varied interests of domestic and com- 
mercial life, and come close to "men's business and bosoms." 

Not less interesting and important is the vastly ex- 
tended diffusion of knowledge by books, magazines, and 
newspapers, the expansion of collegiate educational sys- 
tems, and the uplifting of primary schools and academies, 
happily illustrated in Norwich by the graded district 
schools, and by the Norwich Free Academy, which in 1859 
had graduated only five students, and in 1909 graduated 
sixty-two students and had four hundred and forty-four 
scholars under instruction. 

No review, however rapid, of the great events that 
have concerned both the nation and Norwich in half a 
century, could fail to observe the vast amount of gifts and 
bequests for libraries, institutions of learning, hospitals, 
churches, and other beneficent purposes. Trustworthy 
figures show that the aggregate of gifts exceeding $5,000 
was approximately one hundred and fifty million dollars 
in the United States in the single year of 1909, without 
taking into consideration the enormous sum total of smaller 
gifts from the two mites of the widow up to five thousand 
dollars given privately of which there is no record. What 
Norwich did in that way in 1909 through its churches and 
benevolent societies, and the disbursements for benefits and 
charities by whatever name they may be called, of the great 
benevolent and fraternal orders, has not been computed and 
must remain matter for conjecture. Suffice it to say that 
an appeal for a good cause has never been made in vain 
in Norwich. Her sympathy is world wide, and every one 
of her citizens may well say with the Roman poet, "nothing 
human is foreign to me." 

A traveler needs above all things to put money in his 
purse, and so the exile returning to his old home after many 
years, without stopping to discuss the merits of the national 
banking system, which did not exist in 1859, would soon 
realize with satisfaction the great convenience, to say the 



1 8 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

least, of having in his pocket, money, whether coin or 
currency, of recognized and equal value in every part of 
the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific. He could not 
fail to note with pride that the financial institutions of 
Norwich have for the whole period of fifty years more than 
maintained their old-time reputation for integrity and 
adherence to sound business principles. 

The boys and girls in Norwich to-day, the children who 
can call "Central" on the telephone as soon as they learn 
to speak, do not realize that present conditions have not 
always existed. They accept the telegraph, the telephone, 
electric light, steam heat, rapid transit — all modern inven- 
tions — as they accept God's free gifts, light, air, and water, 
as their natural heritage. 

Nor are the daily wage earners always sensible that 
they have derived greater benefits, proportionately, in the 
world's progress, than any other class in the community. 
If great fortunes have been accumulated by inventors and 
captains of industry in railroads, in oil, in improved manu- 
facturing processes, they are as nothing in comparison with 
the immense advantages that have accrued through their 
enterprise and genius to every man and woman in the land. 

Mr. Motley, the historian, said paradoxically, "give 
me the luxuries of life and I will dispense with the neces- 
saries."' We have changed all that. The luxuries of the 
fathers have become the necessaries of their children. If 
the workingman's hours are still sixty minutes long, there 
are not so many hours in the working day. For five cents 
he can ride with greater speed and greater comfort, in 
a better vehicle, over a better road than the richest man 
could fifty years ago. The world's best books, "worth a 
dukedom," are open to him without money and without 
price. Is he ill, has he sustained an accident, the hospital 
gives him better medical and surgical treatment than 
millions could have commanded in 1859. 

Within the last two generations, by modern methods of 
distribution, the sometimes unjustly censured middleman 
has brought from the producer to the very doors of the 



PRODUCER, MIDDLEMAN, CONSUMER. 1 9 

consumer the manufactures and agricultural products of 
ever}'- section of the land that by no other means could 
have been his, and in no place is the fact more generally 
recognized than in Norwich that the interests of employers 
and laborers are closely identified, and that neither the 
producer, the consumer, nor the middleman can say, the 
one to the other, "I have no need of thee." 

From this rapid review of some of the noteworthy 
events of world-wide interest that have profoundly con- 
cerned Norwich within the last two generations attention 
must now be turned to affairs in a narrower field that are 
of peculiar interest to the town itself. 



INTRODUCTION. PART II. 

Norwich 1859 to 1909. 

Although the different villages that compose Norwich 
are members of the same body and have many interests in 
common they have many that are diverse. Secluded to 
some extent by natural divisions they do not easily get 
together. Bean Hill is far from Laurel Hill, Thamesville 
from Taftville. Even within the city limits the rocky ridge 
of Jail Hill, or Savin Hill, as it used to be called, is a formid- 
able barrier between the two important thoroughfares, 
Broadway and Washington street, and, consequently, 
public improvements that are urgently needed in one section, 
concern another section so remotely that unanimity is well 
nigh impossible. The dwellers in the outer districts, the 
farmers on the hill sides, the workers in the more remote 
manufacturing villages, while largely benefited by the 
advantages of the city, have been reluctant to be incor- 
porated with it. They bring to the city the products of 
their farms and mills, they deposit their money in the city 
banks, their children are in the Free Academy, their wives 
and daughters come to the city for the latest fashions, "the 
freedom of the city" is theirs, its amusements, its libraries, 
and its churches, but hitherto they have uniformly opposec^ 
consolidation. 

As long ago as 1868 petitions for consolidation were 
presented to the General Assembly, but so persistent was 
the opposition from Greeneville, Laurel Hill, East Great 
Plain, and Up-town that the measure failed. At a later 
period (1874-75), Greeneville and also Laurel Hill (which 
had been annexed to the town in 1857) were added to the 
city, and, in 1901, the part of Preston known as East 
Norwich. Whatever reluctance may have existed at any 
time in the annexed districts there is no reason to believe 
that they would now vote to secede if such action were 



PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. 21 

suggested. Again, in 1908, a similar movement for con- 
solidation had considerable strength. It was demonstrated 
by Mayor Charles F, Thayer and others that, by an 
equitable adjustment, the dwellers at a distance from the 
center might be taxed at a lower rate than those who more 
directly profited by such municipal advantages as water 
supply, protection from fire, police force, pavements, and 
lighted streets, but this plan was also defeated, partly 
through fear of increased taxes, and partly, perhaps, from 
purely sentimental considerations. 

Proposed New Charter. 

The proposed new form of city government does not 
come within the limits of the fifty years now under review, 
yet it will not be amiss to record the fact that at a city 
meeting in 1910 it was voted that the Mayor appoint five 
commissioners to draft a new charter for the city. The 
commissioners, Henry A. Tirrell, Hibberd R. Norman, 
Charles H. Haskell, Frederic W. Cary, and Herman Alofsin, 
2nd., carefully considered the subject, and after many 
sessions, public and private, presented a plan for a form of 
government by commission, substantially like that adopted 
in other cities, which — with slight modifications was 
unanimously accepted in city meeting, and was ordered to 
be presented to the General Assembly with a petition that 
a new charter be granted accordingly. At the January 
session in 191 1 the charter was granted, and was referred for 
final action to the city meeting of the same year, when, to 
the surprise of its friends, it was defeated by a small 
majority in a small total vote. 

Water Supply. 

The difficulties that have sometimes beset the people 
of Norwich when they have tried to get together have been 
illustrated by the water problem, which, though it cannot 
be called a burning question, has kept the town in hot water 
more or less of the time for forty years. It has been univer- 



22 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

sally conceded that an adequate supply of pure and whole- 
some water is an imperative necessity for every citizen of 
Norwich, his wife, his children, his cattle, and the stranger 
within his gates. Yet, there have been seasons when one 
might have said that on the surrounding hills there was 
"water everywhere, but not a drop to drink" in the city. 
In 1859 the town was dependent for water supply on private 
wells. In the thickly settled districts were a few public 
pumps, and some private reservoirs and aqueducts that 
yielded considerable revenue to the owners, but the supply 
of water was always insufficient and the quality was open 
to suspicion, even before bacteria and microbes had been 
invented to vex men's souls and bodies. Great was the need, 
yet in 1864, after an amendment to the charter granted by 
the legislature had been formally accepted by the citizens, 
and after contracts had been submitted for the construction 
of a reservoir at Fairview and for street mains at 
a cost of $185,000, opposition to the proposed site 
was so great that a special city meeting was called to rescind 
the vote. The question was finally settled in 1868 by the 
small majority of ninety-three votes in favor of water, and 
the water commissioners were authorized to proceed with 
the work. Under their direction a reservoir was con- 
structed at Fairview between the Scotland and Canterbury 
roads, about a mile from the Up-town green, with a dam four 
hundred feet long and thirty-five feet high, having a 
capacity of 350,000,000 gallons. In May, 1870, the success- 
ful completion of the water works was celebrated with great 
enthusiasm. No one could foretell at that time how great 
would be the increase in the population of Norwich ; still 
less could any one estimate how enormous would be the 
increase in the consumption of water. 

It has been said that "Charity begins at home." 
Not so with economy in the use of water. It never 
begins anywhere except under pressure of stern neces- 
sity. The people demand that water shall be as free 
and abundant as light and air, and the more they have 
the more they want. Consequently, in more than one 



PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. 23 

}car a water famine has been imminent, and, as a temporary 
expedient for increasing the storage capacity, the dam at 
]';iirview was raised in 1900, while discussion grew hot con- 
cerning the comparative value of Pease brook and Stony 
brook as permanent sources of supply. Prolonged seasons 
01 drought throughout New England have reduced the 
water supply of Norwich, as of other cities, below the 
danger point, and the strange spectacle has been seen of 
Standard oil selling at a lower price per gallon than pure 
spring water ! It is believed that the peril has now been 
happily averted, and that Norwich Avill never again suffer 
till all the streams run dry. 

The Street Railways. 

The street railways have been a strong bond of union 
between the separated districts of the town. In 1859 
Norwich was wholly destitute of such public conveyances 
as omnibuses, except, indeed, William Bennett's "accom- 
r odation" between town and landing, which was supposed 
to make two trips daily. In 1865 John Hough ran a stage 
lour times a day from Shetucket street to Bean Hill, and 
G. A. Bushnell managed a line to Occum and Hanover, 
but not until five years later (1870), was the first street car 
line opened from Franklin Square to Bean Hill. This was 
extended several years afterwards when electric power had 
come into use to Yantic. Other horse power lines also were 
opened to Greeneville and the West Side. In 1909 these had 
all been replaced by electric trolley lines radiating to New 
London, Wilhmantic, Westerly, and Plainfield, thus bring- 
ing Norwich into close connection with the entire trolley 
svstem of New England. Under efficient management, the 
Connecticut Company has given to Norwich trolley service 
that leaves little to be desired. 

The extension of the New York and New Haven rail- 
road tracks on the east side of the Thames to Groton and 
New London, the building of a new railroad station in the 
vicinity of Franklin square, and the extension of the New 
London Northern railroad's connections have more than 



24 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

doubled the facilities for transportation by land that were 
available in 1859, and afford easy connections by steamboats 
at New London for New York. Automobiles and motor 
trucks on the public roads, regarded as a novelty ten years 
ago, are daily increasing in number to such an extent that 
it seems not improbable that beasts of burden may become 
extinct, like the pre-historic ancestors of the horse whose 
fossil remains were discovered by Prof. Othniel C. Marsh 
of Yale University. Indeed, the time seems not far distant 
when men will habitually rise superior to the earth and 
the sea and all that in them is, and, soaring as on eagle's 
wings, will fly to the world's remotest bound. 

Electric Light. 

In 1859 kerosene oil, that inestimable benefaction to the 
people who sat in darkness, was only beginning to come 
into general use, and coal gas was limited to the thickly 
settled parts of the town. In 1909 the marvellous electric 
light was extensively employed to illuminate the public 
streets and dwellings and places of business. Since the city 
took over the gas and electric light plant the cost has been 
reduced to the consumer and a profit has accrued to the 
public treasury, thus justifying the anticipations of Charles 
F. Thayer, who warmly supported the measure during his 
term of office as mayor. 

Fire Department. 

The protection from fires furnished by the volunteer 
fire companies was quite insufficient in 1859, and it was not 
until 1869 that the first steam engine was employed. Since 
that time discipline and efficiency and equipment have 
greatly improved, especially during the last ten years under 
the direction of Howard L. Stanton, chief of the fire depart- 
ment and superintendent of the fire alarm telegraph. The 
working force, in seven companies, now numbers nearly one 
hundred, including permanent men, call men, and enrolled 
volunteers. Sixty-five alarm boxes at important points in 



NORWICH BOARD OF TRADE. 25 

different parts of the city ensure an immediate response to 
calls. The most disastrous fires in the last half century 
have been at the Alms House in 1876, at the Hopkins & 
Allen's works on Franklin street in 1900, the Shannon 
Building in 1909, and the Lucas Building on Shetucket 
street in 191 1. With a normal supply of water in the Fair- 
view reservoir at an elevation of two hundred and fifty feet 
at overflow, the compact business district in Norwich has 
better fire protection than most cities of the same size. 

Police Force. 

It is traditional that in 1859 the police force in Norwich 
consisted of one solitary night watchman, whose chief duty, 
like Dogberry's, was to "comprehend all vagrom men," and 
to see to it that the street lamps were not allowed to burn 
on nights, however dark and stormy, when the moon was 
presumed to shine. The citizens of Norwich to-day are as 
obedient to law and order as they were fifty years ago. As 
they never need to be arrested an increase in the police 
force proportionate with the increase of population, say two 
for one, would have sufBced for all ordinary occasions. But, 
as a standing army is desirable for defensive purposes, so 
it has been found expedient to maintain a force of about 
twenty-five regulars and as many more supernumeraries, 
chiefly as a safeguard against tramps, and as instructors of 
new comers who are ignorant of Norwich manners and 
customs. Norwich rejoices that the new comers are soon 
assimilated and become good natives. After acquiring a 
little property of their own they learn to respect the laws 
that have been made for the protection of everyone, and 
become loyal citizens. 

The Norwich Board of Trade, 

Organized in 1887 and incorporated in April, 1893, 
has more than three hundred members, including the 
most influential citizens of Norwich in all departments 
of commercial, financial, manufacturing, and profes- 



26 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

sional business. Without legislative or executive author- 
ity, its voice is nevertheless powerful in all affairs of 
public welfare. The animated discussions at its monthly 
meetings stimulate interest and lead to definite action in 
regard to new industries, public improvements, health and 
sanitation, transportation, legislation, and every measure 
that concerns the prosperity of the community. 

In September, 1901, the Board took an active part in 
the highly successful celebration of Old Home Week, pro- 
posed by Mayor Charles F. Thayer, when the town was 
honored by the presence of former President Grover 
Cleveland, who delivered an address before a large audience 
at the Broadway theatre. In May, 1906, it promoted an 
interesting and instructive industrial exposition at the 
Armory, in which practically every manufacturer in Nor- 
wich was represented. 

Similar bodies in other cities may claim a larger 
membership, but, for sound judgment, quick appreciation 
of the merits of questions that come before it, prompt 
action, and hearty co-operation in every good work, the 
Norwich Board of Trade sets an example that has not been 
surpassed elsewhere. Its bulletins prepared for the cele- 
bration by President F. W. Cary are of great permanent 
value. 

Beneficent Institutions of Norwich. 

Among the benevolent institutions created in the last 
half century is the Eliza Huntington Memorial Home, 
established under the will of Jedediah Huntington, a suc- 
cessful merchant of Norwich, who died there in 1872 at the 
age of eighty-one years. In pursuance of the charitable 
wishes of his wife, and as a tribute to her memory, Air. 
Huntington gave the house and grounds on Washington 
street that had been their residence for forty years, together 
with the sum of $35,000, for "a pleasant home for respect- 
able and indigent, aged and infirm females." Since its 
incorporation as the Eliza Huntington Memorial Home by 
the Legislature in 1872, its affairs have been successfully 
conducted by a board of trustees of whom five are elected 



BENEFICENT INSTITUTIONS. 2/ 

annually by the corporation, and two, the rectors of Christ 
Church and Trinity Church, are members ex-officio. The 
general manager is the Rev. J. Eldred Brown, rector of 
Trinity parish. 

The United Workers of Norwich, 

incorporated in 1878, has for its object the promotion of 
practical benevolence and, "especially, the relief of sufferinj^ 
and the elevation of destitute women and children." Under 
its auspices The Sheltering Arms, in a building given by 
John F. Slater and LaFayette S. Foster, opens its doors for 
aged and infirm persons and the temporarily homeless. It 
also maintains the Rocknook Home for children, on the 
up-town green in the former residence of Moses Pierce, 
VN-hich was given by him in 1878 for that purpose. The 
United Workers House, No. 9 Washington street, is the 
headquarters of the various committees charged with visit- 
ing the sick and needy, with providing work for the un- 
employed, and the frequent visitation of the jail, alms house 
and hospitals. All these agencies, working harmoniously in 
co-operation with the city missionary, Rev. Charles A. 
Xorthrop, who is also the probation officer of the city court, 
are represented in the general executive committee, and are 
so efficient that every applicant for relief or counsel receives 
immediate attention. 

For more than thirty years the United Workers has 
been supported by voluntary contributions, and the long 
list of givers published annually attests the hold it has on 
the confidence of the whole community as an example of the 
best type of charity organization. 

The William W. Backus Hospital, 

incorporated under the statute laws of Connecticut in 
April, 1891, was endowed by William W. Backus, aided by 
the liberal co-operation of William A. Slater, the amount 
of whose benefactions has not been made public. The 
hospital is situated on Washington street about a mile from 



28 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

the center of the city, and consists of six buildings sur- 
rounded by eighteen acres of land. It maintains a training 
school for nurses, a dispensary in the city, and a dispensar}^ 
for treatment of the eye and ear. 

At the formal opening of the Hospital in October, 1893, 
the principal address was delivered by Dr. William T. Lusk, 
who, as a native of Norwich and as a distinguished physi- 
cian in New York, was cordially greeted by a company 
of invited guests in one of the large wards. An address was 
also made by William A. Slater, who, modestly refraining 
from any allusion to his own liberality, which had made 
possible the completion of the Hospital, ascribed all the 
honor to William W. Backus. On the same occasion two 
hundred and fifty women of Norwich manifested their appre- 
ciation of the generous benefaction of their townsmen, 
Messrs. Backus and Slater, by providing the hospital linen. 
In concluding his address, Dr. Lusk said : "Thrice happy 
Norwich ! Happy in the beauties so lavishly bestowed upon 
it by nature, happy in the possession of so many beautiful 
homes, and happy in the intelligent liberality of its favored 
citizens." The president of the Hospital is Winslow Tracy 
Williams, William A. Slater is the honorary president, and 
former presidents are the Rev. Samuel H. Howe, Dr. 
Leonard B. Almy, and Gen. Edward Harland. 



The Norwich Hospital for the Insane 

was incorporated by the General Assembly in 1903, and 
is situated on the east bank of the Thames river, three miles 
from the city, on land given by the town of Norwich. The 
government of the hospital is vested in a board consisting 
of the Governor and twelve trustees appointed by the 
senate. The buildings, equipped with all the requirements 
of modern hospitals, are in process of extension as rapidly 
as appropriations by the state permit, under the superin- 
tendence of Dr. Henry M. Pollock, the resident physician. 
The number of patients in 1909 was about seven hundred. 
The president of the board is Costello Lippitt. 



BENEFICENT INSTITUTIONS. 29 

The Johnson Home 

was incorporated by the legislature in 1905, with authority 
to receive the bequest of Mrs. Maria E. Johnson, and to 
execute the charitable purpose expressed in her last will 
by founding an institution bearing her name as a home for 
"aged and needy women." The King's Daughters, having 
already established in the year 1908 a home for "worthy 
Protestant women," in the large brick building formerly 
Lathrop's Tavern on the up-town green, a friendly agree- 
ment was made by which the Johnson Home assumed 
certain financial responsibilities, and the King's Daughters 
by its officers undertook to act as a house committee. The 
beneficent purposes of both organizations are thus con- 
tinued harmoniously and successfully in the name of the 
Johnson Home. The secretary and treasurer of the Home is 
judge Gardiner Greene and the president is Judge John M. 
Thayer. 

The New London County Temporary Home 

for destitute and neglected children was established under 
the general statutes of the state in 1883, and opened in 
1884 at the Starr Farm on the New London Turnpike, west 
of the Paper Mill Bridge. It was removed to the Preston 
side of the Shetucket river, now part of Norwich, in 1891. 
It is under the control of a board consisting of the County 
Commissioners, one member of the State Board of Charities, 
and one of the State Board of Health, aided by a committee 
of ladies who serve without compensation, having at all 
times the right to visit the Home, and suggest improve- 
ments to the board, and to assist in the selection of family 
homes and in the frequent visitation of children who have 
been placed therein. 

The Otis Library 

was founded by Joseph Otis, a native of Norwich, who 
retired from active business at the age of seventy, and, in 
1851, established the library which bears his name. Until 



30 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

1893 it was supported by subscription. Since that date an 
annual appropriation of $4,500 by the town toward the 
expenses of administration has enabled the trustees to make 
the library free to all the people of Norwich. In 1893 an 
addition to the building costing $18,000 was paid for by 
popular subscription. The fund of $7,000 given by ]Mr. Otis 
was insufficient to meet the increasing demands of the 
large number of readers who enjoy the privileges afforded 
by the library, and it has been increased by bequests from 
Dr. Daniel Tyler Coit, Charles Boswell, WilHam W. 
Backus, Charles P. Huntington, Elizabeth B. Woodhull, 
and Martha P. Foster, amounting in all to $53,000, the 
income, in part, being applied to the purchase of books. 
The library now contains about 40,000 volumes, and, during 
the administration of Jonathan Trumbull as librarian, the 
total registration of book-borrowers has increased to 8,000, 
and the average number of issues of books has been over 
1 14,000 for the last four years. It is believed that no other 
library has accomplished equally good results with such 
limited resources. The president is Gen. William A. Aiken, 
and the treasurer, John C. Averill. 

The Daughters of the American Revolution, 

Faith Trumbull Chapter, on the Fourth of July, 1901, un- 
veiled a bronze tablet on a granite boulder near the Town 
street entrance of the Up-town burying ground, in memory 
of the twenty nameless French soldiers of the Revolution, 
who, serving under Lafayette, died while in camp on 
Norwich Town green in 1778. The exercises on the occasion 
included addresses by the Rev. Charles A. Northrop. 
George Shepard Porter, and Mrs. Sarah T. Kinney, the 
state regent, and the singing of "The Sword of Bunker Hill" 
by Mrs. Martin E. Jensen. 

Two years later, July 4, 1903, Mrs. Frank A. Roath, 
regent of Faith Trumbull Chapter, presided at a large 
gathering assembled near the East Town street entrance 
of the burying ground to dedicate the iron gates that had 



DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION. 



31 



Stood for seventy-one years before the mansion of the late 
Amos H. Hubbard on East Main street, on the site now 
occupied by the United States Post Office. The gate posts 
support bronze tablets bearing the names of fifty-nine 
Revolutionary soldiers whose graves were knoAvn to be 
within the enclosure. Followinij are the names: 



Capt. Isaac Abel 
Rufus Backus Abel 
Capt. Elijah Backus 
Corp. Ezekiel Barrett 
Sergt. Zephaniah Bliss 
Capt. Joseph Carew 
Eliphalit Carew 
Paym't'r Gardner Carpenter 
Sergt. Kathan Chapel, Jr. 
Edward Conoy 
Col. John Durkee 
Capt. Elisha Edgerton 
Capt. John Fanning 
Thomas Fanning" 
Stephen Gifford 
Capt. Silas Goodell 
Abel Griswold 
Lieut. Andrew Grisvvold 
Benjamin Huntington 
Com's'y Andrew Huntington 
Sergt. Caleb Huntington 
Gen. Ebenezer Huntington 
Gen. Jabez Fluntington 
Gen. Jedidiah Huntington 
Lt. Col. Joshua Huntington 
Sergt. John Huntington 
Gov, Samuel Huntington 
Capt. Simeon Huntington 
.\biel Hyde 
Theodore Hvde 



Capt. James Hyde 

Drummer Parmenas Jones 

Ensign Azariah Lathrop 

Darius Lathrop 

Jedidiah Lathrop 

Jonathan Lathrop 

Zachariah Lathrop 

Andrew Leffingwell 

Col. Christopher Leffingwell 

Lieut. Daniel Leffingwell 

Capt. Samuel Leffingwell 

Ensign Elisha Leffingwell 

John Leffingwell 

Phineas Leffingwell 

Drummer Diah Manning 

Capt. Bela Peck 

Capt. Joshua Pendleton 

Dr. David Rogers 

Col. Zabdiel Rogers 

Jonathan Starr 

Capt. Frederick Tracy 

Jabez Tracy 

Dr. Philemon Tracy 

Uriah Tracy 

Simeon Thomas 

Capt. Asa Waterman 

Capt. Nehemiah Waterman 

Asa Woodworth 

Corp. Joshua Yeomans 



32 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

The graves of Corporal Jabez Avery, John Bliss, John 
Bushnell, Samuel Case, David Hunn, Ebenezer Jones, 
Drummer Benjamin Tracy, John Morse, John Williams, 
and Solomon Williams have not been identified. 

Addresses were made by Mayor Charles F. Thayer, 
by Jonathan Trumbull, who told the history of the gates, 
and by Captain Henry P. Goddard, who paid a graceful 
tribute to the men and women and institutions of former 
days, George S. Porter, who had identified the names and 
graves of the soldiers, read a carefully prepared history of 
the burying ground. It is worthy of mention here that at 
about that time, 1903, Mr. Porter voluntarily undertook the 
extremely arduous task of deciphering and transcribing the 
stone records in the burying ground that are being rapidly 
reduced to dust by the effacing fingers of Time. It is 
believed that not one of thirteen hundred graves escaped 
his observation and that he copied with scrupulous exact- 
ness every legible word and letter. He died in 1908. It is 
to be hoped that by the generosity of some public spirited 
descendant of a Founder of Norwich, Mr. Porter's invalu- 
able manuscript, which is now in the hands of his sister, 
Mrs. Jane Porter Rudd, may find a publisher. 

The Daughters also caused suitable inscriptions to be 
placed near the former home of Governor Samuel Hunting- 
ton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and also 
near the homes of General Jabez Huntington and his 
distinguished sons, Jedidiah, Andrew, Joshua, Ebenezer, 
and Zachariah, of Revolutionary fame. The memorial 
fountain placed by the Daughters in the little plain on 
Broadway will be described later in this volume. 

The Miantonomo Monument. 

The monumental stone that for sixty-three years had 
marked the spot where Uncas, chief of the Mohegans, 
captured Miantonomo, chief of the Narragansetts, was 
moved in 1904 to a little cliff one hundred and fifty feet 
from its original position. The change came about through 
the purchase for building purposes of the land on which the 



MIANTOXOMO AND UNCAS. 33 

monument stood. According to the lay-out the stone was 
on the dividing Hne between two lots. By prompt action 
Miss Maria Perit Oilman and Mrs. Louisa Oilman Lane 
purchased the two lots and the stone, and also the plot, 
I20 by i6o feet, to which the monument was afterwards 
removed. They then appealed to the Society of Colonial 
Wars, and Major Bela Peck Learned and Jonathan Trum- 
bull were appointed a committee and given funds for the 
purchase of the land and the removal and preservation of 
the stone, which thus became the property of an incor- 
porated society. The original inscription was "Mianto- 
nomo. 1643." To this was added. "Erected in 1841. Placed 
here by Connecticut Society of Colonial Wars 1904." 

The history of the monument is worthy of record here. 
In 1841, a year before the Uncas monument on Sachem 
street was completed, ''the late William C. Oilman and his 
associates," with a view to the erection of a simple memorial 
of Miantonomo, invited the venerable Judge Nathaniel 
Shipman to go with them to Sachem's Plain and point out 
the spot where he remembered to have seen in his early 
boyhood the great pile of rough stones heaped up in 
remembrance of their great chieftain by the Narragansetts 
in their wanderings through the country. As they were 
entering the field one of the party said to the judge, "please 
try to remember a shady place, if you can !" The old gentle- 
man surveyed the ground, and, advancing straightway to 
the shadow of a convenient tree, planted in the earth 
his silver headed cane, "the ancient cane" of Lieutenant 
Thomas Leffingwell, friend of Uncas, and said, "as nearly 
as I can remember, it was not ten feet from this spot!" 

The company of men and women, boys and girls, and 
members of the "Cold Water Army," who assembled there 
on the following Fourth of July, when the monument was 
first exhibited to the public, duly appreciated the "shady 
place," while addresses were made, and a bucket of cold 
water from the Sachem's spring was poured over the 
granite block by Thomas Sterry Hunt, then a Norwich 
school boy, afterward the eminent geologist of the United 



34 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

States and Canada. Some time later, the Rev. Thomas 
Leffingwell Shipman asked his father how he could venture 
to say after the lapse of so many years that that was the 
exact spot where in his childhood he had seen the heap 
of stones. "Thomas," said the judge gravely, "it was no 
time for me to balk!" 

It would have been unfortunate indeed had one of the 
few memorials of the almost extinct tribes been lost to 
sight and remembrance in the back garden of a private 
dwelling or hewn into foundation stones for a new build- 
ing. Miantonomo is fitly commemorated on Sachem's Plain, 
Uncas, on Sachem street. It may be hoped that, in happier 
hunting grounds than Narragansett or Mohegan they smoke 
the pipe of peace, that ancient animosities are forgotten, 
and the hatchet is buried forever. 

The Mason Monument. 

Among the interesting events of the celebration of 1859 
was the laying of the corner stone of a monument in 
memory of Major John Mason and the Founders of Nor- 
wich, in Yantic cemetery, by the Free and Accepted Order 
of Masons. At the conclusion of the impressive ceremonies 
the company returned to the tent on Chelsea Parade, where 
the Hon. John A. Rockwell delivered an oration on the 
Life and Times of Mason. The situation of the stone was 
almost from the first regarded as unfortunate, for, as 
intimated in Mr. Rockwell's address, the expectation had 
been that a suitable monument would mark the spot in 
the most ancient burying ground, on the road from Nor- 
wich Town to Bean Hill, where Major Mason was buried. 
The stone seems to have been forgotten; at any rate, it 
disappeared from Yantic cemetery. Soon after the celebra- 
tion it was voted that a balance of about three hundred and 
thirty-seven dollars ($337.91) remaining with the executive 
committee should be applied to a fund for the monument. 
No further action was taken, however, for twelve years, 
when, in 1871, John T. Wait, James M. Meech, and John 
L. Devotion were appointed to superintend the erection of 



THOMAS LEFFINGWELL MONUMENT. 35 

such a monument as they might deem appropriate. Under 
their direction a granite monument was erected at a cost 
of six hundred and fifty dollars, on the site of the old Post 
and Gager burying ground, on land of Lyman W. Lee 
Avhich was purchased for the purpose, and the committee 
and their associates were incorporated by the state legis- 
lature in 1 87 1 as the "Mason Monument Association," with 
perpetual succession, and authority to take charge of 
certain funds remaining on hand, and to watch over and 
preserve the monument. The names of the original cor- 
porators are recorded on page 709 of Miss Caulkins's 
history, edition of 1874. 

At a m.eeting of the Association, May 27. 1909, Amos A. 
Browning, Barzillai P. Bishop, Guy B. Dolbeare, William 
C. Gilman, Frederic P. Gulliver, Bela P. Learned, A. W. 
Dickey. Frederick L. Osgood. John F. Parker, Gilbert S. 
Ravmond, Beriah G. Smith, Newton P. Smith, Edwin A. 
Tracy. Jonathan Trumbull, Henry G. Peck, Charles R. 
Gallup, Costello Lippitt, Charles S. Holbrook, John P. 
Huntington, and John C. Morgan were elected members of 
the corporation ; and, at a subsequent meeting, a president 
and six directors were elected and authorized to have the 
monument and ground put in order before the quarter 
millennial celebration. This was done accordingly. 

The Thomas Leffingwell Monument. 

The Connecticut Society of the Colonial Dames of 
America, in November, 1898, erected a cairn, a cone-shaped 
pile of stones suggesting by its form an Indian wigwam, 
on the west side of the Thames river, four miles below 
Xorwich, to mark the spot known as the "chair of Uncas,'' 
to which the intrepid Lieutenant Thomas Leffingwell 
l)rought in a boat, by night, from Saybrook, supplies of 
beef, corn, and peas for the relief of the Mohegans when 
they were besieged in their Fort Shantok, and were reduced 
almost to starvation by the hostile Narragansetts. Major 
Bela P. Learned, in a short address, presented Arthur 
Leffingwell Shipman, a descendant of Lieutenant Thomas 



36 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Leffingwell, as the orator of the day. When the flag, cover- 
ing the cairn, was removed by Miss Mary Learned, also 
a direct descendant of Leffingwell, assisted by Lloyd Gray, 
a lad of six 3'ears, said to be the youngest descendant of 
Uncas, the following inscription was disclosed : "Here was 
the Fort of Uncas, Chief of the Mohegans and Friend of 
the English. Here, in 1645, "^vhen besieged by the Xar- 
ragansetts, he was relieved by the bravery of Lieut. Thomas 
Leffing^vell." 

Parks in Norwich. 

"The proprietors of the common land in the township 
of Norwich" in 1729 did wisely "agree, vote and grant by 
a large majority that the meeting house plain shall be and 
remain to be and lye common for publick use for the whole 
town forever without alteration." Similar action was taken 
at the same time in regard to the plain at Bean Hill, and 
from that day to this no encroachm.ents of any kind have 
been tolerated at either place. 

Chelsea Parade. 

Appreciating the value of such open spaces, three 
public-spirited citizens, Thomas Fanning, Joseph Perkins, 
and Joshua Lathrop, in 1797 gave to all the inhabitants of 
the town the land now known as the Chelsea Parade, "for 
the use and purpose of a public parade or open walk, to be 
unencumbered with any kind of building or nuisance what- 
ever." To commemorate this gift, many years later, Gen. 
Alfred Perkins Rockwell and Dr. John A. Rockwell, grand- 
sons of Joseph Perkins, placed a granite boulder near the 
southeast corner of the parade, with a bronze plate bearing 
an inscription in the following words : 

"Chelsea Parade — given to the — Town of Norwich — - 
for the use and purpose of — a public parade or open walk 
by — Thomas Fanning — Joseph Perkins — Joshua Lathrop 
— April 5, 1797 — Norwich Book of Deeds, No. 28 — Pages 
367, 368 and 369." 



PARKS. 

by a passiae stranger — no Norwich 

§-aiItv c: "■"'- '- -~ — - ■: 7- 

raused :. 
-vhicii. it rr.av bf 



r luneen years .aier, :n iSii, riezekiah ?er-::r.5 am 

- mg 'Lne exi - di 

_ : z-^ r ..- 1 ^. ^- e to the cir .r. : :_ : :: : :.'. it 

:li be used cnl'* as a cark. the smaller tract at the 



Kncwn as t-ie _:tt.e _ . i r 

': -ine, iS59. at the sufeesncn of Levi Hart G: :.' - 

i :;-; t~ oi the Court oi Cortrrrr _:urr: tr.e city z_:- 

chased for S~co. from Avery S~.:.- iri Hirire V^alker. 
the triangnli it the intersection of Franklin 

street" -■- - -^ - ----- - --_gg^ ^:-_ .-- ^ 

erar: : _ irk, to ; t 

\ ' - zT as st:ch. and to tence :t ant p. art trees, i : 
r.tzz it ever after '- :- -:'-.ir. This has ro"." ': 

::r v:urr : - : the pro- 

r.rtiacein: rt of the city. 

Meeting House Rocks. 
Ir :y:c Wiuis D. Perk 

'rl^-ist Rocks, th .re that z'.. r. historic spot 

:;r all tirre f' uently the 

the Rura. Ass-odaticr. remcvt :Iy shops 

clustered at the foot of the rc-cks. r-svned 

bv Miss Caro'vn A. Sterrv v.m; i.;_ .::;....._ :.- her 



38 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

generosity. The precipitous front of the rocks thus opened 
to view from base to summit, became one of the most 
interesting and conspicuous landmarks in the town. 

Lowthorpe Meadows. 

In 1907 Emily Serena Oilman and Louisa Oilman Lane, 
"in consideration of their love and good-will to the 
inhabitants of Norwich, and in memory of their sister 
Maria Perit Oilman and of their Lathrop ancestry," con- 
veyed to trustees about twelve acres of land on Washington 
street, opposite the Coit Elms, to be kept as a free open 
space for the public good, to be unencumbered by dwelling 
houses, barns, or any nuisance whatever, "as a pleasant 
place of recreation for the people of Norwich forever," and 
to be known as the Lowthorpe Meadows. All the Lathrops 
of Norwich are descendants of the Rev. John Lothrop of 
Lowthorpe, England ; hence, the significance of the name, 
Lowthorpe Meadows. 

The value of all these different "pleasant places" for 
the purposes designated — this chain of little parks extend- 
ing from Bean Hill to Laurel Hill, each unique in its way 
and of increasing usefulness — cannot be estimated by their 
present worth, but it will inevitably be enhanced with each 
succeeding year. 

Mohegan Park. 

The park system of Norwich was crowned in June, 
1906, by the acquisition of about two hundred acres of 
natural woodland in the center of the city, the free gift of 
the owners of the property, whose names are here recorded 
as among the great benefactors of the city: Dr. John A. 
Rockwell, the family of the Rev. Leonard W. Bacon, Mrs. 
Henry L. Reynolds, Oen. Edward Harland, J. Hunt Smith, 
Charles Bard, the Misses Edith M. and Fannie R. Bliss, Mrs. 
Henry R. Bond. At the same time the city made an appro- 
priation of $7,500 for the construction of two approaches, 
and for the purchase of Spaulding's pond within the park. 



INDUSTRIES. 39 

The natural lay of the land, the varied surface, the rocky 
cliffs, the well grown forest trees, and the broad lake have 
enabled the commissioners, by strict economy and good 
taste, to utilize the small annual appropriation hitherto 
made by the city to the greatest possible advantage for 
the needs and pleasures of all classes in the community. 

It was proposed that the park should bear the name 
of Dr. Rockwell, but he declined the honor, and at his 
suggestion the appropriate name Mohegan Park was 
adopted. The commissioners in 1909 were Joseph T. 
Fanning, William A. Norton, the Rev. Neilson Poe Carey, 
Henry F. Parker, Henry A. Tirrell, and Dr. P. H. Harriman. 
They serve without compensation, and the majority of them 
have been in office from the beginning. 

Fortunate, indeed, above all others, is the city of Nor- 
wich in the possession of a truly rural woodland park within 
its limits, of such extent and so easily accessible from every 
side — "common pleasures, where all the people and their 
heirs forever, may walk abroad and recreate themselves." 

Industries of Norwich. 

The statistics of the Norwich Board of Trade show 
that in 1909 the amount of capital invested in manufactures 
and the jobbing trades was approximately twenty-eight 
million dollars, and that there were about one hundred 
and fifty different manufacturing industries. It is mani- 
festly impossible therefore in the limits of these introduc- 
tory pages to allude to even one tenth of them, but it may 
be noted that the manufacture of cotton, begun at an early 
period has been continued and extended by the Falls and 
Shetucket companies, and the Totokett company at Occum, 
and still more by the great Ponemah mill, managed by 
John Eccles as agent and superintendent. It is said to be 
one of the largest, if not the largest cotton mill in the 
United States, and is situated at the village of Taftville, 
which sprang into existence as a result of the development 
of the water power of the Shetucket river. This was due 
in great measure to the sagacity of Moses Pierce, who was 



40 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

also largely interested in the Ashland cotton mill, and in 
the Aspinook company of Jewett City, now under the man- 
agement of Oliver L. Johnson. Mr. Pierce was one of the 
most useful and enterprising citizens of Norwich, where he 
died in 1900, at the age of ninety-two years. The Norwich 
Bleaching company, of which Capt. Erastus Williams was 
the first president, was established by Mr. Pierce, and was 
succeeded by the United States Finishing company, which 
conducts at Greeneville a business of great importance in 
calendering cotton fabrics. 

The Yantic Woolen Mill, 

formerly a cotton mill, came into the possession of Capt. 
Erastus Williams in 1824. He conducted the business 
successfully during his active business life, and in 1862 was 
succeeded by his son, E. Winslow Williams. The mill was 
totally destroyed by fire in 1865, but by indomitable 
energy and industry Mr. Williams caused a new and larger 
mill of granite to be built and completed within twelve 
months on the same site. After his death in 1888 his son, 
Winslow Tracy Williams, became the treasurer and active 
manager, and principal owner and, subsequently, the 
president of the concern, which had been incorporated in 
1877 as the Yantic Woolen company. During his admin- 
istration the mill has been enlarged, and the village of 
Yantic has been improved by the erection of Grace 
(Episcopal) Church, a granite building for the Yantic Fire 
Engine company and for social purposes, and a handsome 
stone bridge, whose arches span the river to the driveway 
which leads to Rockclyffe, the residence of Mr. Williams, 
on high ground overlooking the orderly village, the 
meadows, and the winding river. 

The A. H. Hubbard Company, 

the legitimate successor of Christopher Leffingwell and 
Andrew Huntington, pioneer paper makers of Norwich, has 
had a long and honorable history of nearly a hundred years 



INDUSTRIES. 41 

since its establishment by Russell and Amos Hallam 
Hubbard, first at the Falls and later at Greeneville. Its 
business is now conducted, in the third and fourth genera- 
tion from its foundation, by Charles L. Hubbard as presi- 
dent and his son James L. Hubbard as secretary. 

Did space permit other examples might be named of 
industries that were established long before 1859, and have 
been continued to the present day ; but attention must now 
be turned to industries that have come into existence within 
the last half century. 

The Norwich Nickel and Brass Company, 
of which Gen. William A. Aiken is the president, and Edwin 
A. Tracy, the treasurer and general manager, carries on 
a large business in manufacturing by electric power an 
immense variety of metal fixtures for interior display, in 
a modern building of the best type of factory construction, 
on Chestnut street. 

Fire Arms. 
Norwich has long been famous for its manufacture of 
fire arms, and the Hopkins & Allen Arms company, rising 
Phenix-like from its ashes after the destruction of its 
property by fire in 1900, has continued its business in a 
five-story building covering an entire square on Franklin 
street, the president in 1909 being Arthur H. Brewer. 

Crescent Fire Arms Company, 
This important industry, of comparatively recent date, 
is extensively engaged in manufacturing shot guns in the 
Industrial building on Falls avenue, Central Wharf. The 
president is Henry H. Gallup. 

The J. B. Martin Company. 

Among newer industries of importance is the J. B. 
Martin company's large establishment for manufacturing 
velvet, situated on the Lisbon road near Taftville ; and also 
the M. J. Green silk mill on South Golden street, which is 
now controlled by the Brainerd and Armstrong company. 



42 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

The John T. Young Boiler Company, 

with the assistance of members of the Board of Trade and 
a gift of land on Falls avenue, has successfully begun an 
enterprise that promises to be of great importance. 

The Norwich Compressed Air Power Company 

established near Taftville in 1902, at a large cost, a plant 
of great magnitude for transmitting power through a six- 
teen inch pipe to Norwich for all mechanical operations. 
This plant is the first of the kind built in this country. 

The Uncas Paper Company, 

at its large plant at Thamesville, does a large business in 
manufacturing paper board. 

The Hydro Electric Plant of the Uncas Power Company, 
practically a Norwich concern though beyond the town 
limits, by the current sent over its transmission line, nearly 
eleven miles long, from its dam on the Shetucket river 
furnishes power for the Gas and Electric Light Department 
of the city of Norwich. 

The Chelsea File Works, 
established by Henry L. Butts, manufactures hand punched 
and cut files in many different forms. 

The McCrum-Howell Company 

has a great foundry on the west side of the Thames river 
for the manufacture of stoves and heating apparatus. 

These various manufacturing industries, but few out 
of many that might be named, are illustrations of the fact 
that the advantages afforded by the immense water power 
of Norwich and its facilities for transportation are appre- 
ciated by old settlers and new comers as well, who have 
found it a good place to come to and a good place to stay 
in. This development of manufacturing interests in the 
last fifty years indicates greater progress than in any other 
fifty years in the town's history. 



PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. 43 

Public Improvements. 

In the course of fifty years Norwich has seen many 
'■justifiable domicides," but not one has caused a moment's 
regret. Norwich never had at any time such fine examples 
of domestic architecture, "colonial," so-called, as may still 
be seen in the sea-port towns of Salem and Portsmouth, 
and all of the oldest houses, like the people who dwelt in 
them, having served their day and generation, have 
quietly passed away. Norwich is still without any great 
landed estates or very costly mansions, but her citizens 
have always been justly proud of their unpretentious homes, 
indicating comfort, refinement, prosperity, and domestic 
happiness. The number of such dwellings has multiplied 
remarkably in the last twenty years in all parts of the town 
that are easily accessible by street cars, notably, on the 
west side, on Laurel Hill, Lamb's Hill, and upper Washing- 
ton street. 

In 1882, Leffingwell Row, sometimes called "the 
long shop," built by Christopher Leffingwell about one 
hundred years before, and the large red store adjoin- 
ing, near the fork of the roads opposite the residence of 
Gen, Edward Harland, were destroyed by fire. The family 
of Benjamin Huntington, living in the adjacent Leffingwell 
house, caused the land below to be graded and terraced, and 
thus opened a charming view, the only view of the Yantic 
river that may be had from any point on the main road 
between the southern part of Washington street and the 
bridge below Yantic. Some years later Gen, Harland 
bought the ruinous old house on the corner of Harland road 
and Washington street, originally the home of Thomas 
Leffingwell, and afterwards known as the Edgerton house, 
and annihilated it. Improvements projected with great 
enthusiasm by Henry Harland, the lamented nephew of 
General Harland, left the long slope of Sentry Hill and the 
ancestral family residence free from obstructions. This 
improvement, and that of the Huntington property oppo- 
site, have contributed more than anything else, perhaps, 
for the betterment of the appearance of this section of 



44 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

the town. A few rods farther north, Dr. Lathrop's drug 
store, where Benedict Arnold learned his trade, has quietly 
disappeared, and here it may be mentioned for the infor- 
mation of coming antiquarians, that they will never find 
a trace of the old buildings, nor of the house wherein 
Arnold was born, for it was utterly demolished nearly 
sixty years ago. 

Norwich has lost three church buildings since 1859, 
the Sachem street church, built in 1831 ; the Baptist church, 
a frame building on Broadway where the Central building 
now stands, and the Universalist church on Main street. 
It has gained, among other new edifices, the Park church, 
with its Osgood Memorial Parish house, erected by Mrs. 
H. H. Osgood in memory of her husband ; the Trinity 
Methodist church, on Main street ; St. Andrew's Episcopal 
ihurch, at Greeneville; Grace Church, Yantic; the First 
Baptist church, on West Main street ; the Central Baptist, 
on Union Square ; the Taftville Congregational church ; 
the Swedish Lutheran, on Golden street ; the Universalist 
church on Broadway, now known (in 191 1) as the Church 
of the Good Shepherd ; the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic 
church, Norwich Town; St. Joseph's (Polish) Roman 
Catholic church, Cliff street ; and St. Patrick's Roman 
Catholic church on Broadway. This last is specially note- 
worthy, not only because it is the largest and m.ost impres- 
sive church building in Norwich and ministers to the 
religious wants of the largest congregation, but because in 
191 1 it was entirely freed from debt by the exertions of the 
rector, the Rev. Hugh Treanor, and was solemnly conse- 
crated by the Bishop of the diocese. 

Some important landmarks have disappeared and new 
buildings occup}^ their places ; among them the old town 
hall on Church street which was destroyed by fire in 1865. 
A new building for the purposes of the town of Norwich, 
the city of Norwich, and the county of New London, erected 
and completed at their expense in 1873, stands in a com- 
manding position on Union Square, where its appearance 
by no means suggests that it has already attained a greater 



PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS. 45 

age than that of its predecessor. A large extension was 
built in 1909 for the law library, and the enlarged town hall. 



Shannon Building. 

The Norwich bank, a quaint little building, having a 
portico with four wooden columns, stood for sixty-six years 
in the most conspicuous situation in the city, on the corner 
of Main and Shetucket streets, until 1889, when the bank 
honorably discharged all its liabilities and retired from 
business. The building, with some adjoining property, 
was then acquired by James B. Shannon, who erected a 
commodious five-story building for business purposes. 
This was destroyed by a disastrous fire in 1908. Undis- 
mayed by his heavy loss Mr. Shannon immediately pro- 
ceeded to erect a larger and more costly building for stores 
and offices on the same site. It was the first absolutely fire- 
proof structure ever erected in Norwich, and it not only 
protects its own occupants, but would be an effectual barrier 
in case of fire in the adjacent buildings. This and other 
buildings erected by Mr. Shannon are monuments to his 
enterprise. 

Among the noteworthy public buildings of recent 
years, in addition to those named, are the Broad street 
school, the Laurel Hill school, and the enlarged Central 
school district building on Broadway, the Broadway 
theater, which compares favorably with theaters in larger 
cities, and the Masonic Temple. The corner stone of this 
stately building was laid with impressive ceremonies on 
July 3. 1893, t>y the Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and 
Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons. 
Arthur H. Brewer, the president of the Masonic Temple 
corporation, in an introductory speech, referred felicitously 
to the immediate environment of the new building — the 
church on one side, and that powerful engine of modern 
civilization, the public press, on the other, and, in near 
proximity, the refining and educational influences of the 
public school, the free library, the dramatic stage, and also 



46 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

the court house, representing the majesty of the law. The 
principal historical address was delivered by Charles E. 
Dyer. 

The Young Men's Christian Association's building, the 
St. Mary's Total Abstinence and Benevolent Society's 
building, and the Wauregan House extension, all on lower 
Broadway, the State Armory on McKinley avenue, built 
in 1903, the Norwich Bulletin company's building on Frank- 
lin street, the United States post office built in 1905, the 
Central Vermont railroad station, and the New York and 
New Haven railroad station, all these are important addi- 
tions to the architectural features of the city. 

There are few cities of the size of Norwich that can 
point to such a group of modern bank buildings as may be 
seen in "Bankers' Row," where, as long ago as 1863, the 
Norwich Savings Society, the Thames National bank, and 
the Chelsea Savings bank erected a large building for 
their own use, and for offices. In 1895, the Norwich Savings 
Society, finding its quarters too limited, built a banking 
house worthy of its reputation, on the corner of Main 
street and Broadway, and maintains in connection with it 
a fire and burglar proof safe deposit department. The presi- 
dent is Charles Bard, and the treasurer, Costello Lippitt. 

The Shannon building fire in 1908 destroyed the build- 
ings of the other banks just named, and drove them into 
temporary habitations. The Thames bank rebuilt on the 
same site a modern fire-proof building thoroughly equipped 
with every requisite for its business and the accommodation 
of its customers. This institution has prospered from its 
foundation in 1825. The president is Willis A. Briscoe and 
the cashier and active manager is Col. Charles W. Gale. 

Other banks on Shetucket street are the First National, 
the Uncas National, and the Thames Loan and Trust com- 
pany, and on Main street are the Merchants National bank, 
founded in 1833, and the Dime Savings bank. 

After the fire the Chelsea Savings bank purchased the 
Universalist church property at the junction of Main and 
Cliff streets, and has now completed (1911) a remarkably 



NORWICH FREE ACADEMY. 47 

fine building of classical architecture and fire-proof con- 
struction, furnished with all modern appliances for the trans- 
action of its business. The president is Gen. Edward Har- 
land, and the treasurer, Charles B. Chapman. 



The Norwich Free Academy. 

Reference has been made on a preceding page to the 
progress of the Academy as shown by the number of its 
scholars. During the celebration in 1909 the original build- 
ing, which had served for more than fifty years, was being 
replaced by a larger structure, severely plain in its exterior, 
but admirably adapted within for the purposes of the 
school. The Manual Training department had already been 
established in 1895 in a well equipped and well arranged 
building costing about $12,000, which was contributed in 
large part by the alumni. The Slater Memorial building, 
the gift of William A. Slater in 1886, in honor of his father, 
John Fox Slater, contains the Slater Museum, a large 
auditorium containing many portraits and the Peck library. 
The Art gallery, annexed to it, was founded by the bequest 
of Col. Charles A. Converse. These four buildings and 
the residence of the principal of the Academy are ideally 
well situated on a broad campus extending to the Rockwell 
woods. 

The foundation of the Academy was due to the zeal 
of the Rev. Doctor John P. Gulliver, who persuaded citizens 
of Norwich to contribute $80,000 for the purpose. It is 
to be regretted that the long list of the original subscribers 
and subsequent benefactors cannot be reprinted here. It 
included such names as William A. Buckingham, Russell 
Hubbard, Mr. and Mrs. William Williams, Mr. and Mrs. 
William P. Greene, Moses Pierce, Henry B. Norton, and 
many others equally worthy of mention. The spirit kindled 
by Dr. Gulliver's enthusiasm is illustrated by Mr. Hubbard's 
unsolicited oiifer to give "one tenth of seventy-five thousand 
dollars for a free academy," and by Mr. Greene's response, 
'T will give one tenth of seventy-five thousand dollars, or 



48 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

one tenth of any other sum you can raise." The funds 
acquired by the academy have come solely from the 
generosity of enlightened public spirited citizens, and would 
suffice to make the institution literally free for a limited 
number of pupils, as it is in name, but, obviously, if the 
number of pupils shall continue to increase, the academy 
must receive a larger endowment, or else the town, until it 
shall establish and support a free public high school, must 
reHeve parents from the necessity of paying a part of the 
cost of instruction, an arrangement distinctly advantageous 
to the town rather than to the academy which is independ- 
ent of political control. 

The principals of the academy have been Elbridge 
Smith, William Hutchison, and Robert Porter Keep, all of 
whom have departed this life, and Henry A. Tirrell, who 
succeeded Dr. Keep in 1903. Under these honored instruc- 
tors the academy has fulfilled Dr. Gulliver's hope that it 
might become "a University of Secondary Education." 

The mayor of Norwich doubtless remembered the time 
honored maxim, "say nothing but good of the dead," when 
he humorously said, "the best citizens of Norwich are in the 
grave-yard." However true that may be it is nevertheless 
certain that they did not always escape the breath of 
calumny in their lifetime. It would be well if the applica- 
tion of the maxim were so extended that honor to whom 
honor is due should not be withheld from the living, for 
there are still worthy descendants of the old stock who 
reflect honor upon their ancestors but have not received the 
recognition they deserve. The good work they are doing 
to-day will live after them. 

But, happily, there is one son of Norwich who will be 
gratefully remembered so long as his beneficent purposes 
shall be fulfilled in the Backus Hospital and in the Slater 
Memorial, and who has the happiness, not accorded to all 
men, of receiving while he is living the enthusiastic en- 
comiums of his townsmen who participate in the benefits 
conferred by the munificence of William A. Slater. 



MAPLEWOOD CEMETERY. 49 

Maplewood Cemetery. 

The population of Yantic cemetery had increased so 
largely since its consecration in 1844 that after sixty years 
the necessity of making provision for the future was im- 
perative. Through divided councils the city was so slow 
to act that a private corporation, the Norwich Cemetery 
Association, was organized in 1902 to meet the urgent 
need. It bought a large tract on the Salem Turnpike, known 
as the Osgood farm, laid out roads, planted trees, and, 
under the name of the Maplewood cemetery, made the place 
beautiful and suitable in every way for a burial place. By 
the provisions of the charter the ground, and every burial 
lot and the monuments thereon will have perpetual care, 
and after the stockholders shall have been reimbursed for 
their investment, at cost and a moderate interest, the ceme- 
tery will become the property of the city. 

Norwich, England. 

It is worthy of record in this place that through the 
public newspaper press and the librarian of the Otis 
Library occasional courtesies have been exchanged for 
many years between the new Norwich in Connecticut and 
the old Norwich in Norfolk, England, which is regarded by 
some whose dwelling is in the newer town as their ancestral 
home. In 1904 the honorable Mayor of Norwich, Con- 
necticut, received from the worshipful Mayor of Norwich, 
England, as an interesting souvenir, an embroidered cushion 
cover that had been presented to the Cathedral in 1651 by 
Thomas Baret, the brother of Margaret Baret Huntington, 
who came to Saybrook in 1633, and is the ancestress of 
all the Huntingtons in New England. The whole story is 
told in the following correspondence: 

Guildhall, Norwich, loth January, 1905. 

Dear Mr. Mayor: 

I have the honour to transmit in a wooden case a 
Resolution which was unanimously passed by the Council 



50 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

of this City on the 22nd November last, with newspapers 
containing an account of such meeting; likewise the cushion 
cover referred to in the Resolution. 

I trust that the case will arrive safely, and that the con- 
tents thereof will prove an object of interest to your Citizens, 
and remind them of the old City from which yours has taken 
its name. 

I am, Mr. Mayor, 

Yours faithfully, 

Arnold H. Miller, 

Town Clerk. 
The Worshipful, 

The Mayor of Norwich, 

Connecticut, 
U. S. A. 



Norwich. 



fAt a Meeting of Council of the Mayor, Alder- 
j men, and Citizens of the City of Norwich, held 
"1 on the twenty-second day of November one 
I thousand nine hundred and four. 

Mr. Alderman Wild moved, Mr. Councillor Howlett 
seconded and it was unanimously 

Resolved, On the Report and recommendation of 
the City Committee that two of the cushions presented 
to the Corporation by Thomas Baret, Mayor of the City 
in 165 1, for use at, but not now required at the Cathe- 
dral, be given one to the Castle Museum Committee, 
and the other to the Mayor and Corporation of Nor- 
wich, Connecticut, U. S. A., for preservation and exhibi- 
tion in the Museum of that City, and that the Town 
Clerk be authorized to affix the Corporate Seal to this 
Resolution. 

The Corporate Seal of the ^ 

Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens 1 . , , tt T«,r-,i 

t /u n-^ i Kj • y Arnold H. Miller, 

of the Citv of Norwich was V _, ^, , 

, ^ re J • ^1 r Town Clerk, 

hereunto amxed m the 

presence of, J 



NORWICH, ENGLAND. 5 1 

City Clerk's Office, Norwich, Conn. 

Whereas, The Council of the Mayor, Aldermen and 
Citizens of the City of Norwich, England, by resolution 
bearing date November the twenty-second, 1904, did, on 
behalf of that Corporation present to the Mayor and Cor- 
poration of this City, one of a set of cushions presented to 
the first named Corporation in 1651 by its then Mayor, Hon. 
Thomas Baret, and said gift has now come into the posses- 
sion of this Council for preservation and exhibition, 

Resolved, That said gift be and it is hereby accepted 
in the name and behalf of the Mayor and Corporation of 
the City of Norwich, Connecticut, and 

Resolved, That the same be and hereby is perpetually 
loaned to the Norwich Free Academy to be by said Corpora- 
tion placed in the Slater Museum for preservation and 
exhibition, together with the certified copy of the original 
resolution of gift accompanying the same, and 

Resolved, That the thanks of the Court of Common 
Council and of the citizens here represented by its member- 
ship are due and are cordially extended to the Donors ; and 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions suitably 
engrossed be forwarded to the Mayor, Aldermen and Citi- 
zens of Norwich, England, in testimony of our apprecia- 
tion of their distinguished consideration. 

Attest : City Clerk, Steven D. Moore. 



These introductory pages have necessarily dwelt for the 
most part on material things, but, although these may 
indeed be regarded as outward, visible signs of sterling 
virtues and inward graces, no adequate history of Norwich 
could fail to commemorate the good people in all walks of 
life who have made Norwich better because they have lived 



52 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

here, or to comment on the irresistible influences that have 
made for righteousness in the community for the last fifty 
years. While it is lamentably true that wickedness and 
vice exist and have existed, they do not and will not 
prevail, and never was it so true as now that peace and 
happiness, truth and justice, religion and piety, are here 
firmly established for all coming generations. 



The Quarter Millennial Celebration. 

PART III. 

So great was the success of the Old Home Week 
celebration in 1901 that a wide-spread disposition to make 
it an annual festival might have prevailed had not Gen. 
William A. Aiken and others wisely suggested, that, as the 
Quarter Millennium of Norwich was then in the near 
future, it might be prudent to keep the supply of powder 
dry for that coming" event. 

The first official action looking towards the celebration 
of the dual anniversaries of the city and the town was taken 
by the Court of Common Council, June 12, 1907, when on 
the recommendation of Mayor Charles F. Thayer, presiding, 
it was voted that the matter of the one hundred and twenty- 
fifth anniversary of the city be referred to the amusement 
committee. 

The next organization to take action on the subject 
was the Norwich Board of Trade. At a meeting of its 
executive committee, February 3, 1908, President F. W. 
Cary in the chair, it was voted that the president appoint 
an anniversary com.mittee to confer with such committees 
as might be appointed by other organizations. The anniver- 
sary committee so appointed met March 14, 1908, and voted 
to recommend to the executive committee a celebration 
in 1909 of the founding of the town of Norwich, and further, 
to arrange at once for such a celebration by calling a mass 
meeting of the citizens of Norwich for the appointment of 
a general committee. On March 23, 1908, the executive 
committee accepted the report of the anniversary committee 
and authorized it to proceed on the lines suggested. On 
April 6 the anniversary committee of the Board of Trade 
and the amusement committee of the Court of Common, 
Council, in joint meeting, voted to call a mass meeting of 
citizens in accordance with the following notice: 



54 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Notice ! 

All residents of Norwich and vicinity who are interested 
in commemorating- the 250th anniversary of the settlement 
of the town and the 125th anniversary of the incorporation 
of the city are requested to meet in the Town Hall, Wednes- 
day, April 8th, 1908, at 8 o'clock, p. m., to make preliminary 
arrangements for the due celebration of these events. 

Charles E. Chandler, Henry Gebrath, 

Winslow Tracy Williams, Geo. M. Hyde, 

Charles W. Gale, Charles D. Noyes, 

John Eccles, Howard L. Stanton, 

Frederic W. Cary. Arthur D. Lathrop, 

Albert L. Potter, Charles F. Thayer. 

Committees of Board of Trade and Common Coimcil. 

The meeting convened at the time and place appointed ; 
and Edwin A. Tracy was elected chairman and Gilbert S. 
Raymond, secretary. It was voted : That it is the sense 
of this meeting that the 250th anniversary of the settlement 
of the town and the 125th anniversary of the incorporation 
of the city should be celebrated in 1909. It was also voted 
that a permanent committee of arrangements be appointed 
with power to add to its numbers, to appoint sub-commit- 
tees and others for special purposes, and Avith full power to 
raise and expend money and make every arrangement for 
the celebration. 

A nominating committee appointed by the chair 
reported the names of two hundred and fifty members as 
a permanent committee of arrangements, who were 
approved by the meeting. A complete list of their names 
follows : 

William A. Aiken, Jonathan li. Allen, M.D., John C. 
Averill, Wallace S. Allis, Nelson J. Ayling, Leonard B. 
Almy, M.D., Rev. J. J. Ambot, Dwight AV. Avery, Fitch L. 
Allen, Jos. D. Aiken, Willis Austin, Geo. W. Adams, Her- 
man Alofsin, Samuel Anderson, Frank AV.Brow^ning, Horatio 
Bigelow, John A. Brady, Nathan L. Bishop, B. P. Bishop, 



COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS. ' 55 

Arthur H, Brewer, Charles Bard, Willis A. Briscoe, Richard 
Bushnell, Amos A, Browning, Lucius Brown, Frank T. Brown, 
George C. Butts, William F. Bogue, Charles R. Butts, Wm, A. 
Breed, Wm. B. Birge, Thos. F. Burns, Waterman R. Burn- 
ham, Martin Burns, Ellsworth E. Baker, Jacob C. Benjamin, 
Rev. J. A. Broden, Rev. H. A. Beadle (Franklin), W. W. 
Bentley (Bozrah), F. E. Beckwith, Albert H. Chase, Rev. 
Xeilson Poe Carey, Frederic W. Cary, Lewis R. Church, 
Adams P. Carroll, William Caruthers, James L. Case, Patrick 
Cassidy, M.D., Rev. Joseph F. Cobb, Albert S. Comstock, 
Charles N. Congdon, Charles E. Chandler, Felix Callahan, 
Chas. J. Carew, E. H. Crozier, W. B. F. Cranston, S. Ashbel 
Crandall, Chas. Billings Chapman, M. J. Connell (Lisbon), 
Geo. A. Comeau, Tyler Cruttenden, A. J. Dawley, Jeremiah J. 
Desmond, Aron W. Dickey, Francis E. Dowe, John Donovan, 
Charles B. Davis (Franklin), George A. Davis, Alexander H. 
Disco, M. H. Donahue (Baltic), Henry B. Davenport, Gros- 
venor Ely, John Eccles, Rev. G. H. Ewing, Otto Ernst, William 
D. Fitch, Joseph T. Fanning, John E. Fanning, Calvin H. 
Frisbie, John R. Fowler, Charles W. Gale, Henry H. Gallup, 
Henry Gebrath, S. Alpheus Gilbert, Wm. C. Gilman, James 
Graham, Gardiner Greene, James Grierson, Frederic P. 
Gulliver, Nathan S. Gilbert, Lemuel M. Gilchrist, Prof. J. H. 
George, Squire Gregson, M. J. Green, Alphonso J. Grant, Jacob 
Gordon, Edw. W. Higgins, John A. Hagberg, Albie L. Hale, 
Joseph Hall, Joseph D. Haviland, Edward Harland, Patrick 
Harriman, M.D., Gilbert L. Hewitt, Michael C. Higgins, 
A\"illiam F. Hill, J. A. Hiscox, C. Leslie Hopkins, Charles 
L. Hubbard, Albert C. Hatch, George M. Hyde, Calvin L. 
Harwood, Charles S. Holbrook, John D. Hall, John P. 
Huntington, George R. Hyde, Michael J. Higgins, Samuel 
G. Hartshorn (Franklin), Curtis L. Hazen (Sprague), 
Frank E. Hull (Sprague), Chas. H. Haskell, Alexander C. 
Harkness (Preston), Edw\ P. Hollowell (Preston), H. J. 
Hirsch, Oliver L. Johnson, Charles Amos Johnson, Raymond 
J. Jodoin (Sprague), A. B. Kingsbury, Rev. M. S. Kaufman, 
Frank J. King, Samuel Kronig, George A. Keppler, Rush W. 
Kimball, M.D., Thos. J. Kelly, Thomas B. Linton, Arthur D. 



56 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Lathrop, Bela P. Learned, Charles B, Lee, Herbert M. Lerou, 
Frederick W. Lester, Costello Lippitt, Francis J. Leavens, 
Albert W, Lillibridge, Thurston B. Lillibridge, N. B. Lewis, 
M.D., Benj. Lucas (Preston), Ira F. Lewis (Griswold), 
Christian A. Marx, John McWilliams, E. Judson Miner 
(Bozrah), Timothy C. Murphy, Chief John Murphy, Archi- 
bald Mitchell, Charles O. Murphy, Jas. C. MacPherson, 
John W. Mullen, Jas. McGrory, W. E. Manning, John H. 
Miner (Bozrah), William A. Norton, Charles D. Noyes, W. 
Tyler Olcott, P. J. O'Connor, Charles H. Osgood, Frederick L. 
Osgood, William H. Oat, Albert L. Potter, James B. Palmer 
(Lisbon), William H. Palmer, Henry F. Parker, Angus Park 
(Sprague), Arthur L. Peale, George E. Parsons, A. Walton 
Pearson, Henry G. Peck, George E. Pitcher, Ira L. Peck, 
Joseph D. Pfeiffer, John Porteous, Thomas Potter, George S. 
Porter, John H. Perkins, Rev. Lewellyn Pratt, Edmund A. 
Prentice, Frank H. Pullen, Charles H. Preston, Louis I. Pratte, 
M.D., Alex. B. Pendleton (Bozrah), Chester Parkhurst, 
Shepard B. Palmer, Rutherford C. Plant, Hezekiah Perkins, 
Chas. W. Pearson, W. E. Peck (Sprague), John Quinn 
(Sprague), Henry Ruggles, William C. Reynolds, Rev. Charles 
H. Ricketts, Gilbert S. Raymond, Zebulon R. Robbins, Thomas 

A. Robinson, Orman E. Ryther, Woodbury O. Rogers, 
Frank A. Robinson, Frank E. Robinson (Griswold), 
Vine S. Stetson, John H. Scott, George O. Stead, James 

B. Shannon, Dennis J. Shahan, M.D., William H. Shields, 
Frank H. Smith, Archibald S. Spalding, Howard L. Stan- 
ton, Henry J. Steiner, Owen S. Smith, Louis J. Saxton, John 
T. Sullivan, Clarence D. Sevin, N. Douglas Sevin, Chas. W. 
Scott, John S. Sullivan (Bozrah), William G. Tarbox, 
Nicholas Tarrant, Charles F, Thayer, John M. Thayer, Henry 
W. Tibbits, Witter K. Tingley, M.D., Henry A. Tirrell, Edwin 
A. Tracy, Rev. Hugh Treanor, Jonathan Trumbull, Rev. W. T. 
Thayer, W. H. Tift (Griswold), Dwight L. Underwood, 
Fred D. Vergason, James H. Welles, Charles D. White, 
Winslow Tracy Williams, Rev. Peter C. Wright, Frank L. 
Woodard, Otto E. Wulf, Charles E. Whitney, Chas. W.Wolf 
(Lisbon), Alfred A. Young (Grisw'old), James M. Young, 



EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 57 

William B. Young, H. L. Yerrington, John T. Young, 
Peter T. Young, Luther C. Zabriskie (Preston). 

At the tirst meeting of the permanent committee of 
arrangements, held May i, 1908, the following officers and 
executive committee were elected : President, Charles F. 
Thayer; vice-presidents, Edwin A. Tracy, Winslow T. 
Williams, John Eccles, John McWilliams, Gen. William A. 
Aiken, and Jeremiah J. Desmond; secretary, Gilbert S. 
Raymond ; assistant secretary, William A. Breed ; treasurer, 
Charles W^ Gale; executive committee. Dr. P. H. Harriman, 
Arthur D. Lathrop, John Porteous, Albert L. Potter, 
William B. Young, Plenry A. Tirrell, James B. Shannon, 
Charles D. Noyes, Timothy C. Murphy, Howard L. Stanton, 
and Albert S. Comstock. 

In these and subsequent proceedings the coincidence 
of the anniversaries was not forgotten, but the relations 
between town and city have always been so intimate, and 
their boundaries have been changed so many times — as 
shown by the interesting series of maps prepared by Dr. 
Frederic P. Gulliver — that no effort was made to separate 
them in the celebration. No Temple Bar has ever 
obstructed the progress of the First Selectman in riding 
down from his farm to the town hall, nor has the Lord- 
Mayor, meeting him at the gate, proffered his sword in 
token of allegiance. Town and city have lived harmoniously 
like mother and daughter under one roof. The old lady and 
her selectmen have managed her side of the house to her 
entire satisfaction, and she is not disposed as yet to give 
up the pleasures and responsibilities of housekeeping to 
her strong-minded daughter, who feels quite competent to 
run the whole establishment in her own way. 

On June 4, 1908, the executive committee received and 
accepted with regret the resignation of Mayor Thayer as 
president of the committee of arrangements and as a mem- 
ber of the executive committee, and thus lost the benefit of 
his experience as the moving spirit in the Old Home W^ek 
celebration. On June 17, Gen. Edward Harland was elected 



58 XORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

president of the committee of arrangements, and Edwin A. 
Tracy was made chairman, and Gilbert S. Raymond, secre- 
tary of the executive committee. 

It was voted that the chairman be a member ex officio 
of all sub-committees, and that William B. Young, Dr. 
P. H. Harriman, Henry A. Tirrell, and Charles W. Gale 
be a committee to nam.e members of the various sub-com- 
mittees. On October 26, 1908, Gen. Edward Harland by 
letter resigned as president of the general committee, and 
Winslow Tracy Williams was elected in his place. At 
subsequent meetings the nominating committee reported 
the names of the various sub-committees, which were ap- 
proved, and the full list as revised and completed, of ofificers 
and members elected, here follows: 

General Committee of 250 Members — Winslow Tracy 
Williams, president; Edwin Avery Tracy, John Eccles, 
John McWilliams, William A. Aiken, Jeremiah J. Desmond, 
P. H. Harriman, vice-presidents ; Charles W. Gale, treasurer. 

Executive Committee — Edwin Avery Tracy, chairman ; 
Winslow Tracy Williams, vice-chairman ; Gilbert S. Ray- 
mond, secretary; Grosvenor Ely, assistant secretary; John 
Eccles, John McWilliams, William A. Aiken, Jeremiah J. 
Desmond, P. H. Harriman, Charles W. Gale, Arthur D. 
Lathrop, John Porteous, William B. Young, Henry A. 
Tirrell, James B. Shannon, Charles D. Noyes, Albert L. 
Potter, Timothy C. Murphy, Howard L. Stanton, Albert 
S. Comstock, Frank T. Brown. 

Nominating Committee — William B. Young, chairman ; 
Dr. P. H. Harriman, Henry A. Tirrell, Charles AV. Gale. 

Finance Committee — Charles R. Butts, chairman ; Max- 
ton Holms, secretary; Waterman R. Burnham, James B. 
Shannon, Frank L. Woodard. 

Literary Exercises and Speakers — Charles E. Chandler, 
chairman ; W. Tyler Olcott, secretary ; William H. Shields, 
Rev. Lewellyn Pratt, Rev. Hugh Treanor, Edwin W. 
Higgins, John M. Thayer, A. Walton Pearson. 



SUB-COMMITTEES. 59 

Printing and Publicity — Frederic W. Gary, chairman ; 
John M. Lee, secretary; W. H. Oat, F. H. Pullcn, W. B. 
L. Cranston, George A. Davis, Frank H. Allen. 

Ways and Means — Gostello Lippitt, chairman ; C. 
Leslie Hopkins, secretary; Gharles Billings Chapman, 
Charles H. Phelps, James H. Welles, Robert W. Perkins, 
Frank L. Woodard, Charles W. Gale, C. Henry Osgood, 
Arthur H. Brewer, Charles L. Hubbard, Arthur J. Dawley, 
Oliver L. Johnson, Winslow T. Williams, Archibald 
Mitchell. Charles D. White. John Eccles, Henry H. Gallup, 
Henry G. Peck, George PL Pratt, James W. Semple, Patrick 
F. Bray, George W. Davis, Henr}^ Gebrath, Dr. George 
Thompson, Dr. L. L Pratte, John A. Brady, Albie L. Hale, 
Grosvenor El}', Frank H. Smith, Charles D. Noyes, Henry 
W. Tibbits, William F. Hill, John Donovan, Albert L. 
Potter. 

Invitation Committee — William PL Shields, chairman ; 
John P. Huntington, secretary; Bela P. Learned, Wallace 
S. Allis, Zebulon R. Robbins, Grosvenor Ely, Gilbert S. 
Raymond, Jonathan Trumbull, Dr. Patrick Cassidy, Charles 
B. Lee, Frank T. Maples, F. J. Leavens, Charles H. Haskell, 
Miss Emily Gilman, Miss Ella A. Fanning, Miss C. C. 
Gulliver, Mrs. B. P. Bishop, Airs. Gardiner Greene, Mrs. 
William H. Shields, Wilham B. Young. 

Programme Committee — Winslow T. Williams, chair- 
man ; Grosvenor Ely, John Porteous. 

Amusem.ent Committee — Nelson J. Ayling, chairman ; 
Arthur L. Peale, secretary; Allyn L. Brown, Walter M. 
Buckingham, George A. Kcppler, Charles E. Case, Charles 
H. Preston, Henry L. Bennett, John B. Oat, Joseph C. 
Bland, William A. Breed, John F. Byrne, Ira W. Jackson, 
W. Harry Jennings, Dwight H. Hough, Dr. D. J. Shahan. 
James C. E. Leach, George P. Madden. 

Automobile Parade — Horatio Bigelow, chairman : John 
L. Mitchell, secretary; Calvin H. Frisbie, Jam,es L. Hub- 
bard, Dr. Charles Osgood, W. Russell Baird, Charles W. 



Go NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Briggs, George W. Carroll, Arthur J. Dawley, Chauncey A. 
Sherman, Dr. Witter K. Tingley, M. B. Ring, G. Everett Hall, 
Julian L. Williams, John F. Rogers, Calvin L. Swan. 

Decorating Committee — Zebulon R. Robbins, chair- 
man; Herbert L, Knox, secretary; Otto E. Wulf, S. Alpheus 
(j'ilbert, Frank W. Browning, Norris S. Lippitt, lienry J. 
Steiner, Daniel J. Hinchey, Frank J. King, Henry T. Nelson, 
Frank E. Parker, John J. Somers, Edward H. Tibbits, E. A. 
Cud worth, Dr. George A. Comeau, Amos A. Browning, 
Joseph W. Gilbert. 

Fireworks — Walter F. Lester, chairman ; Arthur E, 
Story, secretary; Tyler Cruttenden, George A. Allen, 
William B. Young, Timothy C. Murphy, John T. Clark. 

Headquarters Committee — The Society of the Founders 
of Norwich. 

Historical Committee — Frederic P. Gulliver, William C. 
Oilman, Frank A. Robinson, William B. Birge, Jonathan 
Trumbull, Capt. L. R. Jewett, Albert J. Bailey, B. P. Bishop, 
Adams P. Carroll, Aron W. Dickey, Shepard B. Palmer, 
Horace Rogers, Albert W. Smith. 

Loan Exhibition — Faith Trumbull Chapter, D. A. R., 
Mrs. Ellen K. Bishop, regent. 

Music Committee — James L. Case, chairman ; Frederick 
W. Lester, secretary; Archibald Mitchell, Charles D. Geer, 
George A. Kies, Eugene Wallner, William F. Habekotte, 
Ebenezer Learned Frank L. Farrell, Arthur B. Blackledge, 
Herbert T. Miller, William B. Young, Jr., Charles D. 
Gallup. 

Reception and Entertainment of Distinguished Guests 
— Winslow Tracy Williams, chairman ; William R. Jewett, 
secretary; William A. Aiken, Arthur H. Brewer, Charles 
L. Hubbard, Charles D. White, Gardiner Greene, Oliver L. 
Johnson. Dr. Leonard B. Almy, Charles Bard. Willis A. 
Briscoe, Archibald Mitchell, Dr. Patrick Cassidy. Frederick 
L. Osgood, Henry F. Parker, William H. Palmer, John 



SUB-COMMITTEES. 6l 

C. Averill, William D. Fitch, William A. Norton, James B. 
Shannon. 

Schools Committee — Henry A. Tirrell, chairman; Clif- 
ton H. Hobson, secretary; Nathan L. Bishop, William D. 
Tillson, Rev. Hugh Treanor, F. J. Werking, Rev. James J. 
Smith, Bertram F. Dodd, John B. Stanton, Rev. John 
Ambot, A\'alter E. Canfield, Rev. Arthur O'Keefe, William 
G. Tarbox, F. H. Bushnell. 

Transportation Committee — Charles H. Preston, chair- 
man ; Joseph D. Haviland, secretary ; Frank H. Smith, 
Charles J. Winters, Alonzo R. Aborn, Ansel A. Beckwith, 
Gilbert L. Hewitt, John A. Moran, Henry F. Ulmer, Charles 
E. Whittaker, Benjamin Hall, Calvin L. Harwood. 

Committee on Public Safety — Dr. P. H. Harriman, 
chairman ; Frederick Symington, secretary ; Howard L. 
Stanton, John Murphy, George E. Fellows. 

Procession Committee — Dr. P. H. Harriman. chairman; 
Charles W. Gale, Hugh Blackledge, Herbert M. Lerou, 
Fred A. Fox, Charles S. Holbrook, John D. Moulton, 
William I. Woodward, James Graham, Irving J. Willis, 
Edward T. Burke, Michael C. Higgins, John J. Corkery, 
Rutherford C. Plant, Charles H. Preston, architect; Dr. D. 
J. Shahan, Norris S. Lippitt, J. Herbert George, John Wood- 
mansee, Dr. James J. Donohue, John P. Murphy; Zebulon R. 
Robbins, Arcanum Club ; James C. MacPherson, Somerset 
Lodge, F. Leon Hutchins, St. James Lodge, Charles Billings 
Chapman, Columbian Commandery, Masonic ; Frank J 
King. Robert A. Brown, Frank M. Green, Harold T 
Sargent, Odd Fellows ; Capt. John A. Hagberg, Capt 
William G. Tarbox, Military; Vine S. Stetson, G. A. R. 
George E. Zimmerman, Sons of Veterans; Ida R. Green 
W. R. C, G. A. R.; Michael J. Dwyer, Frank J. Murtha 
Terrence Hanlon, A. O. H.; C. W. Worthington, John H 
Taylor, A. O. U. W. ; William R. Stevens, B. P. O. E. 
Michael J. Malone, C. B. L. ; Herbert B. Gary, Chelsea Boat 
Club ; S. Howard Mead, Colonial Club ; Samuel Kronig, 



62 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Benevolent Hebrew Society ; Alary Washburn, Daughters 
of Liberty; Maria L. Button, Degree of Pocahontas; 
William Weldon, Patrick F. Bray, Albert Thorp, Allen 
Boyle, F. of A. ; Percival Armstrong, Eagles ; James T. 
Carey, Heptasophs ; Morris Rosin, I. O. B. A.; James C. 
Donovan, Michael J. Kelley, James Grierson, Labor Union ; 
P. F. Murtagh, Antoine Paquette, K. of C. ; Napoleon 
Beausoliel, K. of St. L. ; Dr. George A. Comeau, Union St. 
J. C. B. ; Archibald C. Everett, Willard H. Palmer, M. W. 
A. ; Percy H. Wilcox, Margaret R. Rohan, N. E. O. P. ; C. 
Amos Johnson, Norwich Club ; Charles D. White, Golf 
Club ; N. L. Bishop, Roque Club ; William J. Curran, Typo- 
graphical Union; Herman Alofsin, O. B. A.; Richard 
Thoma, Ida Weiss, O. D. H. S. ; Anna Hammer, O. of V. ; 
John Gamble, O. U. A. M.; Alexander Jordan, Hormisdas 
Gaucher, Royal Arcanum ; Ludwig Anderson, Swedish 
Political Club ; John Lindroth, Scandinavian Benefit 
Society; Bruno Pedace, Joseph Podurgrel, St. John's 
Polish Society; Stanislaus Marchiel, St. George Polish 
Society; Isidore Boucher, St. Jean de Baptiste; Maurice J. 
Buckley, St. Joseph's Sodality; John F. Amburn, Franklin 
Bowen, K. of P. ; Cesare Del Carlo, Convezzo D'Atri, 
Italian Society; John Seidel, Maennerchor-Taftville ; Miss 
Harriet G. Cross, W. C. T. U. ; Mary Foley, St. Anne's 
Temperance ; Walter G. Casey, St. Mary's Temperance ; 
P. F. Shea, Father Mathew's Temperance ; Bryan Hanlon, 
Sacred Heart Temperance Society; Miss Mary E. Hartie, 
St. Cecilia's T. A. Society ; Dr. Edward J. Brophy, lioly Name 
Society ; Wm. McClaff erty. The Evergreen Club ; Mrs. P. H. 
Harriman, Catholic W^oman's Club ; Louis Andrews, 
Tierney Cadets; Mrs. D. J. Shahan, Ladies' Catholic 
Society ; George Greenberger, Congregation Sons of Israel ; 
S. Zellinger, Congregation Sons of Joseph ; W. Stefanski, 
Polish School; William Caruthers and William A. Wells, 
U. S. Government; Henry F. Ulmer, Charles B. Lee, Wm. 
G. Henderson, Charles D. Gallup, Frederic W. Gary, Henry 
W. Tibbits, Joseph D. Aiken, John F. Rogers, J. W. Curtis, 
W. I. Woodward, Philip Henault, Norwich Board of Trade. 



MEETINGS OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 6t^ 

Hospitality Committee — Lewis R. Church, chairman ; 
Albert H. Chase, Charles P. Bushnell, Herman D. Rallion, 
Ebenezer Allen, Rollin C. Jones, Frank Hempstead, Reuben 
S. Bartlett, Francis E. Beckwith, Gurdon L. Bidwell, J. 
Frank Clark, Archa W. Coit, Arthur G. Crowell, John H. 
Ford, Currie Gilmour, Otis B. Hall, Justin Holden, Edwin 
Oldfield, Henry B. Davenport, Woodbury O. Rogers, F, E. 
Pattison, C. D. Boynton, D. J. Hayes, William J. Farrell, 
Louis Mabrey, James Constanti, M. Louis DeAIonte, Frank 
E. Martin, A. A. Adam, George E. Driscoll, Edward Price, 
Edwin L. Burnap. 

Edwin A. Tracy was, ex officio, a member of all sub- 
committees. 

All these committees engaged in their respective duties 
with due diligence, holding frequent meetings and keeping 
records of their proceedings, which were reported to the 
executive committee by its ubiquitous chairman, who was 
here, there and ever3'where, giving close personal attention 
to innumerable details. 

By a vote of the executive committee all moneys re- 
ceived were paid over to Col. Charles W. Gale, treasurer 
of the general committee, and disbursed by him only on 
vouchers for expenses certified and approved by the sub- 
committee incurring the expense and by the finance com- 
mittee. The records of these sub-committees, and the 
remarkably full and complete records of the general com- 
mittee and the executive committee, kept by the secretary, 
Gilbert S. Raymond, will be deposited in the town clerk's 
office for the information of whom it may concern. 

The details of the work of the sub-committees would 
fill a volume, but, however essential they were it must 
suffice here to advert only to some of the more important 
things actually accomplished. 

On July 29, 1908, on motion of Col. Charles W. Gale, 
it was voted that the celebration be held on Tuesday and 
Wednesday, September 7 and 8, 1909. Subsequently 
the advertising committee reported the printing of half 



64 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

a million souvenir postal cards in eight colors, showing fifty 
different views in the town, to be furnished to dealers at 
a nominal price for advertising purposes and otherwise, 
without expense to the committee. The sentiment of the 
executive committee as expressed by the president, by 
the chairman, by Gen. Aiken, and others was that the 
celebration should be conducted on the highest plane, free 
from such catch-penny schemes as advertisements on pro- 
grammes or similar devices, and supported by direct con- 
tributions from the town, city, and private citizens, with 
such dignity that no criticism could follow. 

The ways and means committee reported an appro- 
priation of $5,000 from the town of Norwich, which was 
subsequently approved and validated by the General 
Assembly. The chairman reported progress from time to 
time in behalf of the sub-committees in regard to literary 
exercises, badges, letter heads, invitations, expenses, etc. 

On April 6, 1909, the president, Mr. Williams, and 
the chairman, Mr. Tracy, gave a detailed account of their 
visit to the President of the United States for the purpose 
of inviting him to honor the celebration with his presence. 
He expressed not only willingness but desire to accept the 
invitation, on the only free date at his command, which 
would be July 5. After prolonged discussion in which all 
the members expressed their views it was resolved that 
the vote naming September 7 and 8, 1909, for the days of 
the celebration, be rescinded, and that July 5 and 6 be 
substituted therefor. The action of the committee was 
acquiesced in, even by those who feared that the celebration 
might be rather an ovation to the President of the United 
States than an historic commemoration, and that the time 
for preparation, reduced to sixty days, would be insufficient. 
But, as in the days of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah, when 
the walls of Jerusalem were to be rebuilt, all "the people 
had a mind to work," so the people of Norwich, as they 
have never failed to do in an emergency, rose to the occasion 
with one heart and voice, and thus a successful celebration 
was assured in advance. 



ACTIVITIES OF COMMITTEES. 65 

In 1859 a young girl who was present at the bi-centen- 
nial celebration prided herself that she was entitled to wear 
two silk badges, one as a native of Norwich, and one as 
the descendant of a native, whereas, her mother, although 
she was the wife of a native and the mother of a native, 
was permitted to wear only the less distinguished decora- 
tion of an invited guest. In 1909, fifty years later, all that 
was changed. Such fine distinctions were ignored, and 
to every one, whether native born, or descendant of a 
founder, or an adopted fellow citizen of foreign ancestry, 
was extended the right hand of fellowship provided that 
he knew the shibboletli well enough to make his Norwich 
rhyme with porridge. 

The few weeks intervening before the day appointed 
for the celebration were fully occupied by the committees 
in planning and discussing, considering and reconsidering, 
ways and means for the execution of a thousand important 
details. A general programme was adopted, five thousand 
invitations were issued, contracts were made for badges, 
flags, electrical displays, fire-works, bands of music for 
parades and concerts, for reviewing stands, for a military 
parade and for feeding the soldiers, for an exhibition of 
historical tableaux, for the erection of an imposing plaster 
statue called "The Founders," for hotel accommodations 
for distinguished guests, for reduced railway fares, for a 
loan exhibition by the Daughters of the American Revolu- 
tion, and for the unveiling of a memorial fountain under 
their auspices, for the exhibition of the airship, "California 
Arrow," for athletic sports and a harbor parade, and for 
a grand military and civic procession, all of which, and 
other interesting events, are fully set forth in the official 
programme which will follow. A committee of public 
health and safety, of which Dr. P. 11. Harriman was chair- 
man, was appointed, and proclamations were issued by 
the mayor of the city and the first selectman of the tow^n 
restraining the use of lire crackers and other explosives. 

The historical committee, of which Dr. Gulliver was 
chairman, undertook to place suitable markers on one hun- 



66 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

dred and fifty interesting historic spots in the town, and 
issued a large edition of an explanatory handbook of thirty 
pages, entitled "Persons and Places in the Ancient Town 
of Norwich," which will be re-printed in this volume; and, 
finally, a special committee, consisting of Dr. Frederic P. 
Gulliver, the Rev. George H. Ewing, William C. Gilman, 
and Frederick T. Sayles, was appointed to take charge of 
services on Sunday at the up-town burial ground. 

As the day approached intense interest was felt as to 
the arrival of the President ; would it be prevented by the 
failure of congress to act on the pending tariff bill ; would 
he come from Washington or from Beverly — via New Lon- 
don or Willimantic ; at what hour would he arrive ; could 
his private car run with safety on the Vermont Central 
tracks? All these debatable questions were happily settled. 
When the time came every man was at his post. He was 
expected to do his duty, and, what is more, he did it. All 
the parts of the machine were in such perfect adjustment 
that no rehearsal, no tuning up, no trial trip was needed. 
The moment the signal was given the wheels began to move 
like clockwork, without a jar or a jolt, and so continued 
without any mishap or accident. 

Services at the Up-town Burying Ground. 

For the first of the public services in the celebration 
of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settle- 
ment of the town, Norwich invited her sons and daughters 
to a service on Sunday afternoon, July 4, that fittingly 
commemorated the thirty-five Founders. It was held at 
four o'clock in the old Norwich Town burying ground, 
where a throng of more than five hundred people were 
assembled among the moss-covered stones that marked the 
last resting place of many of the forefathers. 

The spot chosen for the service was on the home lot 
of the Rev. James Fitch, where a tall weeping willow over- 
looking the attentive audience bore upon its trunk the 
names of four of the Founders buried in this plot — Thomas 



SERVICES AT OLD BURYING GROUND. 6/ 

Adgate, Simon Huntington, John Post, and Thomas 
Waterman, as well as that of Christopher Huntington, Jr.. 
the first of the males born in the settlement. Patriotic 
sentiments re-kindled by the day and by the graves of 
heroes of the American Revolution, pious remembrances 
of the Founders, and tender memories of nearer ancestors 
and kindred combined to make the occasion the most 
interesting and impressive event of the celebration. 

The ushers who arranged the audience in front of the 
gentle slope where the speakers stood were George F. Hyde, 
John E. Luther, Jeremiah Murphy, Thomas Casey, William 
^Ve^s Lyman, and R. Huntington Gulliver. 

Dr. Frederic P. Gulliver was in charge of the 
service, which opened with the hymn, "O God, Our 
Help in Ages Past," sung with full-toned melody by a choir 
directed by Frederick W. Lester. The singers were Mrs. 
Charles Tyler Bard, Mrs. Frank Herbert Merrill, Miss 
Louise Fuller, Miss Elsie D. Brand, Mrs. Frederic S. Young, 
Mrs. A. T. Sullivan, Mrs. George T. Lord, Mrs. William G. 
Haselden, Miss Belle T. Service, and Louis A. Wheeler, 
James Henderson, Louis Brown, George A. Turner, F. S. 
Birchard. James L. Case, Weaker F. Lester, William Oddy, 
and C. D. Gallup. 

The welcome in the name of the Founders was given 
by Dr. F. P. Gulliver, who said : 

In the name of the Founders of Norwich, the thirty-five 
original proprietors, to whom was granted by Uncas the 
nine miles square tract, I bid you one and all welcome to 
our 250th anniversary celebration. I have been asked to do 
this, first, as a life-long resident of Norwich ; second, as a 
descendant of one-third of the original proprietors v.ho 250 
years ago laid the foundation of Norwich; and, third, as one 
who has confidence that before our 300th anniversary celebra- 
tion, Norwich will have outgrown the condition of rival 
villages, and will have become the undoubted leader of eastern 
Connecticut in business, commerce, transportation, etc. 



68 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

We stand this afternoon in a portion of the home lot of 
the Rev. James Fitch, which in 1699 ^^^ opened as a burial 
place for Norwich. I ask you to join in the invocation offered 
by the successor of Mr. Fitch, the Rev. George H. Ewing, 
pastor of the First Congregational church. 

Following the invocation, the hymn, "Gone Are the 
Great and Good", was sung. 

Dr. Gulliver then said: 

Many of our ancestors came from Saybrook, attracted 
by the water power and level land in this region. The Rev. 
Dr. Lewellyn Pratt, a descendant of our Saybrook ancestors, 
will address us on "The Outgoing from Saybrook." 

Dr. Pratt, who was heard with marked attention by 
the large assembly, said : 

I presume that I have been selected to speak this open- 
ing word in the public services of this 250th anniversary, 
as a native and representative of the old town of Saybrook. 
I am to remind you of "the rock whence ye were hewn and 
the hole of the pit whence ye were digged." 

Norwich Pilgrims Came from Saybrook. 

As we all know, the band of pilgrims who came here 
in 1659-60 came for the most part from Saybrook. An 
independent colony had been established there under the 
leadership of Gov. John Winthrop the younger. It was a 
colony animated by great expectations. The importance of 
the location at the mouth of the great river, the prospect 
and the purpose of building there a large city, and the hope 
that many prominent men would soon follow made it an 
attractive spot to enterprising souls. That settlement was 
begun in 1635 — the same year that Hooker brought his 
colony through the wilderness to Hartford. Lion Gardiner, 
an engineer who had seen service under the Prince of 
Orange in the Netherlands, was induced by Gov. Winthrop 
to come to fortify the place, to lay out the ground for a city, 
and to "make preparation for the reception of men of 



REV. DR. PRATT's ADDRESS. 69 

quality,'' who were soon to follow from England. He re- 
mained four years, and was succeeded by Col. George 
Fenwick, and he in turn by Major. John Mason. During 
the first years, troublesome years of defence against the 
frequent assaults of the Indians, the settlement had for its 
center and principal feature the fort which Gardiner had 
built at the first. About this were clustered the houses, and 
in this, in the Great Hall, was the gathering place for 
defense, for transaction of business, and for worship. No 
church was formed at first, for it was principally a military 
post; and the chaplain of the post, Rev. John Higginson, 
was the spiritual guide of the colony. Col. George Fenwick, 
after the failure of ''the men of quality," who were expected 
to join him in the enterprise, transferred his colony in 1644 
to Connecticut, and soon after, saddened by the death of 
his wife, Lady Alice, returned with his children to England, 
and ^Major John Mason was persuaded to receive the in- 
vestment and to make Saybrook his home. There he re- 
mained as leader for tw^elve vears. 



A Church Formed. 

Under his administration the colony thrived, and a 
more extended settlement was made north, east and west. 
In 1646 a church was formed and the Rev. James Fitch, who 
had studied with the Rev. Thomas Hooker and who was 
recommended by him, became pastor, and Thomas Adgate 
deacon. Mr. Fitch's ministry, whom Trumbull speaks of 
as a "famous young gentleman" (he was in his 24th year 
when he was settled), proved to be a very happy and suc- 
cessful one. Notwithstanding the hostility of the Dutch 
and the Indians, the plantation grew by the moving in of 
choice families, some of them from Windsor and Hartford, 
attracted in part by the popularity of the young preacher. 
We have meager records of that period, but it seems to 
have been one that promised well for the settlement, which 
was now assuming the consequence of a real plantation 
and becoming something more than a military post. 



yO NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Decision to Go to Norwich. 

After a lapse of fourteen or fifteen years, however, we 
find that a check is to be given to this progress, the intima- 
tion of which is clearly marked by this order of the general 
court of Connecticut, dated May 20, 1659: 

"This court having considered the petition presented 
by the inhabitants of Seabrook, doe declare yt they approve 
and consent to what is desired by ye petitioners respecting 
Mohegin, prvided yt within ye space of three years they 
doe effect a Plantation in ye place prpounded." 

We would like to know more of this petition and of the 
list of names signed to it, but no copy has been preserved. 
The order speaks of the "inhabitants of Seabrook," which 
seems to imply that a majority proposed to remove; and 
the fact that Mr. Fitch, their pastor, decided to come with 
them also lends color to that view. It is doubtful, however, 
if the majority actually came. Mr. Fitch may have recog- 
nized the greater need of those who were to go into new 
conditions and who would require his experience and 
counsel in the organizations they must effect. Apparently, 
it was not regarded as the removal of the church, although 
its pastor and deacon came — Saybrook has always dated 
the organization of its church in 1646, and Norwich 1660 — 
but in all probability the younger and more enterprising of 
the colony came, and the loss to Saybrook was most serious- 
ly felt. For several years, till 1665, the colony and church 
that were left behind were in a disheartened state. 

Many reasons have been surmised for the removal, 
some of them too frivolous to be accepted, as that which 
has been so often repeated ; that these Norwich pioneers 
with Major Mason and James Fitch at their head, were 
"driven out b}'- the crows and blackbirds that destroyed 
their corn." We may imagine many reasons, among them, 
perhaps, was the disappointment that the men who had 
planned to settle at Saybrook and who would have given 
peculiar character and standing to that colony had failed 
to come ; and even their representative. Colonel Fenwick, 
had lost heart in the enterprise and abandoned it. Then, 



REV. DR. PRATT S ADDRESS. 7 1 

tliere were the inducements which the friendly Indians here 
held out and the offer of a large tract of land for settle- 
ment. 

The peculiar beauty of this section, with its wooded 
hills, its fertile plains and running brooks, attracted them. 
The pioneer spirit appealed to them, was in their blood, as 
in all the colonies at that time. They must go somewhere. 
So Hooker had come to Hartford, Pynchon to Springfield, 
Roger Williams to Rhode Island, Jonathan Brewster to 
Windsor and Brewster's Neck. Probably this Norwich 
colony had as reasons for the removal some like those given 
by Hooker's company in their petition for permission for 
removal to Hartford, which were : 

1. "Want of room where we are.'' 

2. "The fruitfulness and commodiousness of Con- 
necticut and the danger of having it possessed by others." 

3. "The strong bent of our spirit to remove thither." 

Probably the "bent of their spirit" was the motive, more 
potent than either of the others or than both of them 
together. 

That act of the general court of May, 1659, which I 
have quoted, made as its condition that the settlement must 
be made within the three years thereafter. Apparently no 
time was lost ; and the advance guard came in the summer 
of 1659. followed by the remainder of the company the next 
year. 

Character of the Settlers. 

It was a valiant and goodly band of well to do folk of 
good ancestry, that had been trained by strong leaders, 
such as Winthrop, Fenwick, Gardiner, Mason, Higginson 
and Fitch, had been inured to service in a new country, had 
already attained to a well ordered life under a constitu- 
tional government, and were united under the restraining 
and refining power of the Christian faith. This colony did 
not begin in a random way, like so many of the early settle- 



^2 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

ments or like so many of the later frontier ventures, by re- 
ceiving accessions of restless adventurers from this quarter 
and that till it gradually grew into stable form and condi- 
tion : it came upon the ground a town and a church. The 
people were not a miscellaneous company thrown together 
by chance, needing to be trained and assimilated, but an 
association carrying their laws as well as their liberties 
with them ; not strangers, each seeking his own 
advantage, staking out his own claim and defending 
it by arms ; but a band of God-fearing men and 
women united into a brotherhood, each bound to act 
for the common good. They were not mere fortune hun- 
ters or buccaneers coming to wrest their speedy gain and 
then retire ; but founders of a civilized and Christian state 
in which they could establish homes, and which they could 
bequeath to their children as a priceless inheritance. They 
were looking forward to permanence and a future and they 
knew that steady habits, manly toil and fine fraternity of 
feeling must enter into that to make it stable. All the 
enactments and proceedings of those early days reveal a 
community in which good order, decorum of manners, self- 
respect and high ideals prevailed. The Christian church 
was the unifying bond and the guide of their lives. They 
were cheered and strengthened by the constant charm of 
its promises, and the rigor of the wilderness and the priva- 
tions of frontier life were softened by its hopes. I do not 
know how much they thought of the names they were to 
transmit. I think some of them would have smiled at the 
coats of arms and the kind of heraldic glory with which they 
have been crowned, and would have been incredulous of 
the "genuine" heirlooms that have been handed down ; 1)ut 
they did aim to lead honest and honorable lives and to 
make a community in which it would be safe and wholesome 
for their children to grow. 

It was a sifted seed that was brought by Winthrop to 
his first settlement ; and it was sifted again when Fitch and 
Mason brought it here. Who they were ; how they fared ; 
what hostages they have given to history in the lines of 



REV. MR. NORTHROP'S ADDRESS. 73 

noble descent, we are to hear in the days that are to follow. 
It is a goodly story — the orderly life of those early days ; 
then, the patriotic spirit of the time when the nation was 
born ; then, the enterprise of this later time. Norwich, proud 
of her ancestry, of the achievements of her sons and daugh- 
ters, of her well earned name, and of her lines running out 
to the ends of the earth, comes to her quarter millennium 
with devout gratitude to Him who brought us here and 
who has sustained us. 

And it surely is not amiss, while, standing by their 
graves, we honor the memories of those heroic men and 
women and congratulate ourselves on our heritage, to re- 
mind ourselves that 

"They that on glorious ancestors enlarge 
Produce their debt instead of their discharge," 
and, that though these have witnesses borne to them 
through their faith, "God has provided some better thing 
for us, that apart from us they should not be made per- 
fect." 

After the spirited singing of the hymn, "Let Children 
Hear the Mighty Deeds," Chairman Gulliver said: In the 
fall of 1659, or spring of 1660, the first settlers constructed 
a log meeting-house some 500 feet west of the point where 
we are standing. 

He then presented Rev. C. A. Northrop to give an address 
on Building a Church-State. Mr. Northrop said : 

The Founders. 

How many there were of them has never been officially 
determined till recently, when, according to the signed, 
sealed and delivered statement of the Society of the Found- 
ers, there were thirty-five. This is probably about as near 
to the truth as we shall ever be able to get. 

They were men in the prime of life, most of them with 
famiUes — of the respectable middle class of Englishmen, 
with a dash or two of aristocracy. The Hydes and 



74 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Huntingtons and Leffingwells and Tracys were of good 
stock. They were young, vigorous adventurers of the best 
type. Samuel Hyde was 23 years old when he set foot 
in Norwich, Simon Huntington was 31, John Birchard 32, 
Post and Olmstead 34, Fitch and Leffingwell 38, Adgate 40, 
Tracy 50, Mason and Caulkins 60. 

They were in comfortable circumstances. They came 
to work. They were wheelwrights, and millers, and mer- 
chants, and surveyors, and shoemakers, and brewers, and 
tanners, and cutlers, and stone cutters and carpenters and 
farmers. They were uneducated, some of them, as to books, 
but they knew many things. If "Old Goodman Hide" and 
Caulkins made their mark on legal documents instead of 
their name, it did not prevent them from making a name. 

The Saybrook influences that cradled them survived 
here for many a day. Fitch and Woodward and Lord, the 
first three ministers, were of Saybrook extraction and served 
the church for nearly 125 years. The third pastor of the 
Second society of the Nine-mile Square (Franklin) was a 
Saybrook boy, and lingered on till the second half of the 
nineteenth century. I, myself, might have shaken hands 
with him had he come to my father's house before he died. 
And that does not end the Saybrook influence, for when 
Dr. Nott of Franklin passed away, there came into the 
Norwich atmosphere the overshadowing delight of Dr. 
Pratt, another Saybrook product, who is with us to-day and 
may his shadow never grow less. 

Their Incoming. 

They came as purchasers, not as conquerors. They 
came by families, and went to work. So busy were they 
that in a few years they did not know where their own pos- 
sessions lay. They kept few records, and if they could 
only have known how much was to be made of them by a 
grateful posterity, they would certainly have told us more 
about themselves. How much would we not give to-day 
for Pastor Fitch's notes on his varied and useful work for 



REV. MR. NORTHROP S ADDRESS. 75 

whites and Indians, and for an even hurried glance over the 
lost pages of the church records for the first 40 years! 

They were an orderly people. They builded well. They 
organized at once "a. Religious Society and Church-State." 
It mattered not whether they said church or state. Both 
were one to them. We have here the three fundamental 
types of society, Family, Church, State. 

For sixty years town and church affairs were recorded 
together. After that, the church records were called "Town 
Plot Society Records." The town clerk was generally the 
church clerk. 

Their Ongoing. 

Statewise, as citizens, they led quiet and peaceable 
lives with some godliness and much honesty. The}^ were 
at peace with the Indians. They held offices and held on 
to them. For eighty years the town offices were held in 
the families of the first proprietors. John Birchard was 
town clerk for 18 3^ears with a Saybrook experience behind 
him. Richard Bushnell served in that capacity for 30 3'-ears. 
Six generations of Huntingtons held the office for 152 years 
with only one break of one year. In the ecclesiastical line 
two Adgates, father and son, held the diaconate for 89 
years, and seven Huntingtons held the like office for 201 
out of 236 years. 

They bequeathed property. Homesteads remained in 
the same family for 100 years and more. Some homesteads 
to-day are occupied by the descendants of the original pro- 
prietors, bearing the same name. The second and third 
generations were well to do. They were alive to trade. 
Their patriotism encouraged home manufactures. Just about 
the close of the revolutionary war there were 20 or more 
trades and business enterprises around the green. 

Their patriotism brought to the front many illustrious 
leaders in war and in counsel. A sketch of the doings around 
the old Town Green from the days of the Stamp Act to the 
Declaration of Peace would disclose what Norwich men 
and women thought on the matter of freedom and liberty. 



76 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

In marriage and offspring their ongoings were notable. 
They were not polygamists, but they had generally two 
wives, sometimes three, rarely four. Widows married then 
as now without exciting much remark. The intertwisting 
of family lines made everybody related to everybody, and 
nobody could gossip without danger of slandering his rela- 
tives. They lived to a good old age and saw their children's 
children and peace upon Israel. At death, Thomas 
Lefifingwell was 92, Caulkins 90, Adgate 87, Bingham 88, 
Simon Huntington y"], Fitch 90, Bushnell and Tracy 75, 
Birchard 72, Mason 72. Most of the first generation were 
buried in the old Post and Gager ground, where now stands 
the Mason monument. Four of them whose graves are 
marked were buried in the Old Town burying ground, 
where these exercises are being held. Deacons Simon 
Huntington and Thomas Adgate, Sergt. Thomas Waterman 
and John Post were surely buried here, and probably 
Bowers and Reynolds and Caulkins and Lieuts. Leffingwell 
and Backus. 

The increasingly valuable researches of the late 
George S. Porter have uncovered for posterity many of the 
ancient events, and he is fittingly remembered in durable 
bronze at the gateway of the ground where he spent so 
many days in the service of love for the old Founders. 

Educationally, the founders were pretty slow. They 
had some schools, but they were not up to the average 
even of that early day. In 1700 the town was indicted by 
the courts "for want of a school to instruct children." Their 
descendants have more than made up for their deficiencies in 
this respect. 

As churchmen, they were decidedly "broad." Fitch's 
parish covered the Nine-miles-square, and parts of Wind- 
ham and Canterbury. It was nearly fifty years before a 
Second society was organized, at Franklin in 1718, People 
came from the east and the west and from the north and 
the south and went up Meeting House hill to worship. 

In polity they were independent with a will. They 
would have no such squinting at oversight as looked forth 



REV. MR. NORTHROP S ADDRESS. '/J 

from the Saybrook platform. They were so independent 
that they were open to a new idea now and then. 

They shared in the general religious declension of the 
years 1660-1740. Till the "Great Awakening" of the latter 
date, religion was formal and external. There was more 
head than heart in it. The Half Way Covenant was worse 
than the Saybrook Platform. The founders would have 
nothing of the second and had too much of the first. The 
religion of genuine conversion was preached by Dr. Lord 
before Edwards and Whitefield came on to the stage, and 
while the "New Lights" were the logical result of Dr. 
Lord's preaching, they were not easily recognized by him, 
and their unusual independence troubled his righteous soul 
not a little. The awakening took deep root in New London 
county, where the Separatist movement was pronounced, 
and the knell of dis-establishment began to be sounded. As 
Dr. Lord goes out, the new religious ideas come in, and 
the established Congregational church of Connecticut under- 
goes dissolution and gives place to the rights of free wor- 
ship. And with the freer and wider thinking begins a better 
thought of the outside world. Some of the most fruitful 
beginnings of the great modern missionary movement had 
their origin right here on this soil, and so it has come to 
pass that New London county has the distinction of having 
given more for the evangelization of the world than any 
other county in the United States. 

Their Outgoing, 

Mason's descendants are found mostly outside the Nine- 
mile-square — all the way from Stonington to Lebanon. His 
grandson. Daniel's, widow, became, by way of Haddam 
influences, mother of David Braincrd. 

Fitch, dying in Lebanon, sent out lateral branches like 
a cedar of Lebanon, from Montville to Pomfret. 

The Backuses had Isaac, the Separatist, and founder of 
the Baptists; Charles, the wisest man whom President 
Dwight knew; Azel, first president of Hamilton college; 



78 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

James, the surveyor of Marietta ; Elijah, the cannon maker 
of Yantic, and William W., the hospital man of Norwich. 

The Huntingtons went everywhere. Their lines went 
out into all the earth and their words to the ends of the 
world. Deacon Christopher, the first boy born in Norwich, be- 
came grandfather to Wheelock, whose Indian school in 
Lebanon developed into Dartmouth college. A niece of 
Christopher's became ancestress of Ulysses S. Grant, 

Baby Elizabeth Hyde, the first girl born in Norwich, 
became ancestress of two and one-third octavo pages of 
distinguished men and women, according to the testimony 
of one of the family given at the 200th anniversary of the 
town. 

The Leffingwells settled down near by, and gave their 
name to a well-known district of the township. 

With the coming of peace after the Revolutionary war 
and the opening of "The Landing" to business, and the 
advent of roads and postoffices and new families, the grip 
of the original proprietors on things and thoughts began 
to relax, and some of the rest of us got our chance. 



Their Legacy. 

They left five towns and parts of two others — Bozrah, 
Franklin, Lisbon, Sprague, Norwich, Griswold, Preston, 
while Lebanon, Mansfield, Canterbury, Plainfield and 
Windham were peopled largely from the old plot. Along 
the Yantic and Shetucket and Quinebaug they built their 
homes and influenced widely the social and civil and 
religious life of their neighbors. 

They left thrift and neighborly kindness and order and 
patriotism. 

They left churches in every place where they settled 
and left good men to advertise and support them. They 
set the pace and gave the tone for the life, not only of the 
town as it continued, but for the cit}-- as it began to grow. 
Norwich to-day has no reason to forget and no cause to 
minimize the debt it still owes to Norwich Town. 















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i'lkclncal Ulumiiialiiiii ut ihc Cilv Hall. 




l-t)uii(UT>' Statiu- iin Chelsea I'arade, 



SECOND DAY OF CELEBRATION. 79 

The exercises closed with the singing of America. 

After the close of the exercises in the burying ground 
an organ recital was given in the First Congregational 
church by Herbert L. Yerrington, assisted by G. Avery Ray. 
The first number on the programme was Bach's celebrated 
fugue on the theme familiarly known as "St. Anne's," 
which had been sung by the choir and people in the burying 
ground. In many of the churches on Sunday the pastors 
preached appropriate sermons or made special reference 
to the celebration and the religious history of the to\vn. 
The evening was largely devoted to family reunions 
and informal social intercourse. The weather throughout 
was most favorable, — genuine Norwich weather, such as 
Norwich always expects to have on her high festivals, and 
thus the celebration of the quarter-millennium had an 
auspicious beginning. 

True to time-honored custom the day appointed for the 
celebration of American independence was "ushered in," in 
fulfillment of the prediction of President John Adams, with 
"the ringing of bells and the thunder of cannon," and at half 
past four o'clock, or, to be exact, at thirty-one minutes past 
four o'clock, all the bells in town, re-echoing the peal sound- 
ed by the old Liberty Bell on Independence hall on July 4, 
1776, hallowed the two hundred and fiftieth year, and pro- 
claimed liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants 
thereof. At an early hour, strangers, who had been coming 
for three days, arrived in increasing numbers ; the railway 
trains and trolley cars were crowded, and it was estimated 
that on that day Norwich entertained fifty thousand guests. 

Never before was the town so brilliantly decorated 
with profuse and beautiful designs, arranged with artistic 
skill and effect. In many places were displayed side by 
side the special Celebration Flag with the Rose of New 
England, designed and adopted by the Executive Commit- 
tee, the Flag of the City, with the heraldic lion, domesti- 
cated from Norwich, England, and the Flag of the State, 
with its symbolic vines and the legend, "Qui transtulit 



8o NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

siistinet" ; and, everywhere, even on the humblest dwellings, 
predominating above all, was the Flag of the United States, 
not a Royal Ensign, not the standard of a king, but the 
Star Spangled Banner, the Flag of all the People. 

President Taft and his personal escort, his secretary 
and military aid, left Beverly at an early hour on Monday, 
July 5, and arrived in Norwich by a special train via Putnam 
shortly before ten o'clock. As he landed on the platform 
the presidential salute of twenty-one guns resounded from 
Geer's hill, and music from the band of the Governor's 
Foot Guard and the fife and drum corps of the Putnam 
Phalanx rose above "the thunder of the captains and the 
shoutings" of thousands of people assembled to honor the 
President of the United States. 

He was cordially welcomed by First Selectman Arthur 
D. Lathrop on behalf of the town, by his Honor, Mayor 
Costello Lippitt, and Aldermen Frank A. Robinson and 
Vine S. Stetson on behalf of the city, by Winslow Tracy 
Williams and Edwin A. Tracy of the executive committee, 
and Gen. William A. Aiken, Arthur L. Brewer, and Wil- 
liam H. Palmer of the reception committee. At about the 
same time His Excellency, Frank B. Weeks, Governor of 
Connecticut, arrived with his staff, and the Right Reverend 
Chauncey B. Brewster, Bishop of Connecticut, and other 
high dignitaries. 

Under the escort of the committee, the distinguished 
guests were conveyed in automobiles to the field adjacent 
to the Norwich Club House, to witness the Historical 
Pageant, or Tableaux, representing scenes in Indian life, 
the days of the American Revolution, and of the war for the 
Union personified by soldiers of the present day, together 
with glimpses of the future, in which five hundred school 
children participated. The pageant was designed by George 
A. Keppler and successfully carried out under his direction. 

In the meantime the first ascension of the airship was 
made, and athletic sports took place at the county fair 
grounds. 




Ph 



RECEPTION AT ROCKCLYFFE. 8l 

When the President *left the field where the pageant 
was presented, he was escorted by Mr. Williams to his resi- 
dence at Rockclyffe, where, in the presence of Mr. 
Williams's family, Mr. Taft planted a promising young oak 
tree, a seedling from the Charter Oak, certified by the Hart- 
ford Park Commissioners as a "lineal descendant." 

It had been proposed that the President should be in- 
vited to be the guest of honor at a public dinner on Monday, 
but the time allotted for his stay in Norwich was so 
limited, and the events planned for the day were so numer- 
ous that the dinner was necessarily omitted. But with gen- 
erous hospitality Mr. and Mrs. Winslow Tracy W'illiams 
invited a large company of their personal friends, with the 
chief officials of the town and city and of the quarter- 
millennial committee, together with their wives. 

To meet 

The Honorable William Howard Taft, 

President of the United States, 

at breakfast 

on Monday, July the fifth, 

at twelve o'clock, 

at Rockclyfife, Yantic, Connecticut. 

The guests, as they approached Rockclyffe, found the 
handsome granite bridge and its entrance court artistically 
decorated with flags, as also the long driveway to the 
mansion, over which floated a single United States flag, and, 
after they had been presented to Mrs. Williams and the 
President, an elegant breakfast was served at small tables 
on the spacious lawn under the shade of the old oak trees 
that crowned the hill. 

The hospitality of the people of Norwich is proverbial. 
During the celebration their doors stood wide open to 
guests, whether family friends or strangers, and there were 
many homes where the President might have been wel- 
comed with due honor and gracious courtesy, but it is not 
too much to say that at that time no other citizen of 



82 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Norwich could have extended such magnificent hospitality, 
to so many guests, in such a charming environment in honor 
of the President. 

From this brilliant scene the President was driven 
rapidly to the city, where he took his place in the great 
military and civic parade, which moved promptly at two 
o'clock under the command of Col. Charles W. Gale as 
grand marshal, and marching up Broadway and Washing- 
ton street to Harland's corner, countermarched to the re- 
viewing stand on the east side of Chelsea Parade. 

In the procession and on the reviewing stand, besides 
the President and his personal escort, and the Governor and 
his staff, and the President and Chairman of the executive 
committee, were the town and city officials, as follows: the 
Selectmen and Town Clerk, the Mayor, Aldermen and Council- 
men, the City Treasurer, Tax Collector and Street Commis- 
sioner. 

It is said that four thousand people were in the pro- 
cession, which was an hour in passing a fixed point. After 
it had marched in review before the President, he was pre- 
sented to the great multitude by Governor Frank B. Weeks, 
who said : 

I congratulate Norwich on its celebration and on the 
beautiful weather for it. I congratulate the people of 
Norwich and the state of Connecticut in having the Presi- 
dent of the United States here as your guest, and it gives 
me great pleasure now to introduce to you President 
William Howard Taft. 

The President, who was greeted with enthusiastic 
cheers, said: 
My friends : 

I think it was last year that I had the pleasure of ad- 
dressing a Norwich audience. Then I talked to you on the 
subject of the Panama Canal and I promised to come back 
here at the 250th anniversary of your city's foundation, 
whether I was nominated and elected for the Presidency or 
not. I said that probably you would not want me if I was 
not elected, and I haven't had an opportunity to test you on 




^ 



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PRESIDENT TAFt's ADDRESS. 83 

that. But it is a great pleasure to come back to this beauti- 
ful town. I like to call it a town because while you make a 
distinction between the city and the town, the term town 
suggests its wonderful history. Well may it be called the 
Rose of New England. Its beauties to-day and its sweet 
memories of the past justify the use of that term, and if I 
were a Norwich man I should hug it to my bosom. There 
is something about the town differing from most towns 
whose history I know, in the individuality of the town it- 
self. There are other towns that have had noted individuals 
who have made history. Norwich has had noted individuals 
whose characters, continued through three great crises, have 
given a character and an individuality to the town itself. 

Major John Mason was a great man and he had a son- 
in-law, James Fitch, a minister of the gospel in this town 
for forty years, who was a good man ; and there were in 
those thirty-five men in whose name the nine miles square 
were given by Uncas, men of bone and sinew fit to meet 
the tremendous trials of those early days. 

Then you came to the revolutionary time and you 
were not wanting, for out of the descendants of your first 
settlers you furnished great force to that which w^as needed 
to separate this country from England. And then again 
in the Civil War you furnished much more than your quota, 
and the names of the men who marched out from Norwich 
would have done credit to many a larger city with a much 
greater population to draw from. 

One of the things that the history of this town suggests 
is the character of the government that you had here in the 
early days. Like that of the government of other New England 
towns, but perfect in its way, it was almost a theocracy. 
The minister, James Fitch, was not alone a minister of the 
gospel as we know him to-day, exercising a beneficent 
influence in the community, but he spoke by authority, the 
state was behind him, and the men and women of the com- 
munit}' were obliged to conform to the rules of morality 
and life which he laid down. 



84 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

We speak with great satisfaction of the fact that our 
ancestors — and I claim New England ancestry — came to 
this country in order to establish freedom of religion. Well, 
if you are going to be exact, they came to this country to 
establish freedom of their religion and not the freedom of 
anybody else's religion. The truth is in those days such 
a thing as freedom of religion was not understood. Eras- 
mus, the great Dutch professor, one of the most elegant 
scholars of his day, did understand it and did advocate it but 
among the denominations it certainly was not fully under- 
stood. We look with considerable horror and with a great 
deal of condemnation on those particular denominations 
that punished our ancestors because our ancestors wished 
to have a different kind of religion, but when our ancestors 
got here in this country and ruled they intended to have 
their own religion and no other. But we have passed 
beyond that and out of the friction. Out of the denomina- 
tional prejudices in the past we have developed a freedom 
of religion that came naturally and logically as we went on 
to free institutions. It came from those very men who 
built up your community and made its character. The 
Rev. James Fitch could not look upon any other religion in 
this community with any degree of patience, but his 
descendants, firm in the faith as he was, now see that the 
best way to promote Christianity and the worship of God 
and religion is to let every man worship God as he chooses. 
This community was well supervised by the clergy, and did 
well by the clergy. The Rev. James Fitch, after fourteen 
years at Saybrook, came here and presided in the First 
Church for forty more years. I have heard clergymen sa}^ 
that after a clergyman passes his fiftieth year he ought to be 
made emeritus and step out of the profession. They did 
not say so in those days. There was an authority about a 
minister of the gospel that meant a good deal more than 
mere persuasiveness, and the clergyman's authority is one 
that seems to cultivate a long life. 

The Rev. James Fitch was succeeded by Dr. Benjamin 
Lord and he was succeeded by Dr. Strong, all of the same 




!£ 



0^ 



Cu 



X 



PRESIDENT TAFt's ADDRESS. 85 

church, and the Doctors Lord and Strong presided together, 
including six years when they were both ministers of this 
town, one hundred and seventeen years. Now think of 
the influence in a community of God-fearing men with force 
of character, with power to condemn wrong and uphold 
right, and then you can understand, how Norwich has sur- 
vived and preserved an individuality. 

jMajor Mason was a statesman. He was deputy 
governor. His chief was Governor Winthrop and Governor 
W'inthrop, while Major Mason presided over the colony of 
Connecticut, went to London and found King Charles the H 
in such good humor that he got that far-famed charter to 
Connecticut. They said that Charles H was a monarch who 
never said a foolish thing and never did a wise one. Whethei 
it was Avise for him or not, the charter of Connecticut that 
he gave, with its principles of free institutions and its lati- 
tude to the people of Connecticut in carrying on their 
goverment. was certainly from our standpoint a wise act, 
and I don't wonder that when they tried to get it away 
they put it in that oak where it was not found. 

The truth is, my dear friends, we hear a great deal of 
discussion of free government and references made to the 
declaration of independence which this day celebrates. And 
some people so construe that instrument that they w^ould 
make it mean, that any body of men or children or women 
are born with the instinct of self-government so that they 
can frame a government as soon as they begin to talk. 
Now, that is not true. Self-government has been fought 
out in the history of this world and by certain races has 
been hammered out by a thousand years of struggle and 
men have taught themselves how to govern themselves, 
^len are not fit to govern themselves until they have sense 
and self-restraint enough to know what is their interest and 
to give every other man all that is coming to him according 
to right and justice. 

Now, what is true with respect, therefore, to our ances- 
tors is now true with respect to many races in this world. 
They have to be led on and taught the principle and lesson 



86 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

of self-government. But our ancestors, by a wise negligence 
in the home government for nearly two hundred years, came 
to be the best prepared people there were in the world for 
self-government. Take the town of Norwich and see how 
those thirty-five men and the people who followed them 
made up a government ; how they were conscious of the 
responsibility that they took upon themselves when they 
attempted a government themselves, and how they carried 
on an orderly government, a government of liberty, regu- 
lated by law. So it was in every town in the thirteen 
colonies. They were all men of strength of individuality, 
of self-restraint, and they knew what it cost to build up a 
government and maintain it ; and when on the 4th of July, 
1776, they declared their independence of Great Britain, 
they did it with reluctance and with hesitation because they 
knew the tremendous burden on their backs, and they knew 
the responsibilities that they owed to the world and that 
they owed to the people for whom they were making the 
declaration. 

No better example of the character of those men who 
made that declaration of independence and who subsequent- 
ly framed the constitution of the United States could be 
found than right here among your representatives of the 
town of Norwich. Your selectmen, your leaders, had the 
education and the experience that fitted them, as all the 
Americans of that day were fitted, to organize and maintain 
a civil government and preserve the free institutions and 
liberty regulated by law. 

Now you have stood and looked at the procession so 
long that your eyes are strained and I do not mean to strain 
your ears. I wish again to testify to the profound pleasure 
I have had in studying the history of the town of Norwich, 
of going over the characters of your great men and of 
realizing that the strength of your community — the char- 
acter of your community — is in the character of the men 
that made it up ; and I doubt not that right here under these 
beautiful elms, and in these houses, so many of which 
preserve the memories of the past, there is the same respect 



"-" / 'i'f 







Calvin H. Fri- 




C". .Miiriian William:-' .uitciniDhik, -Second I'ri 



THIRD DAY OF CELEBRATION. 8" 

for virtue, for individual character, for honesty, for freedom 
and for law that was left to you as a legitimate legacy from 
the ancestors whose memory you honor to-day. 

At the conclusion of his address the President, accom- 
panied by the Governor and his staff, was escorted to the 
Buckingham Memorial, where he held a public reception for 
an hour in the large parlor, while Hatch's band of Hartford, 
played patriotic airs in front of the building. Among the 
two thousand people who paid their respects were United 
States Senators Bulkeley and Brandegee and Representative 
Higgins. After this ceremony he returned to the home of 
]\Ir. Williams for a family dinner party, and, after witness- 
ing from Jail hill the display of fire-works, was driven 
quietly to the special night train that conveyed him to New 
York en route for the ter-centenary celebration on Lake 
Champlain, 

In the afternoon of Monday, John Mitchell, as the guest 
of the Central Labor Union, was applauded at several 
points in the procession, in which he appeared as the head 
of the representatives of organized labor, and afterwards he 
delivered an address at the band stand in Union Square 
before an audience of several hundred persons, to whom 
he was presented by Dr. Harriman. 

A magnificent display of fire-works on Rogers hill 
opposite the railroad station closed the second day of the 
Norwich quarter-millennial celebration. 

The public events of the third and last day of the 
celebration began at half past eight o-clock with an exhibi- 
tion drill and parade by the fire department under Fire 
Chief Howard L. Stanton, and an automobile parade an 
hiiur later. These events interested a large number of 
spectators who thronged the principal streets. 

Memorial Fountain. 

An interesting feature of the two hundred and fiftieth 
anniversary was the presentation by Faith Trumbull chap- 



88 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

ter, Daughters of the American Revolution, to the city of a 
memorial drinking fountain of Westerly granite, in com- 
memoration of the gift of the Little Plain to the city of 
Norwich by Capt. Hezekiah Perkins and Hon. Jabez Hunt- 
ington, in i8ii. There was a pleasing order of exercises 
attending the presentation, which were enjoyed by fully 
2,000 people. On an elevated platform were past state 
regents, those who took part in the exercises, and Jonathan 
Trumbull and Gen. William A. Aiken. Directly in front 
were chairs for the members of Faith Trumbull chapter and 
visiting Daughters, and chairs were reserved for Governor 
Weeks and his stafif. 

The regular exercises were commenced with rendition 
of the "Star Spangled Banner," which was followed with 
an invocation by Rev. Lewellyn Pratt, D.D, 

Mrs. Elizabeth B. Buel of Litchfield, the state regent, 
then extended greeting in part as follows : 
Madame Regent, Madame Honorary State Regent, mem- 
bers of Faith Trumbull chapter, citizens of Norwich and 
guests: 

It is my happy privilege to-day to bring greetings from 
the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution, to 
Faith Trumbull chapter and to ancient Norwich on this 
impressive occasion. To reach the distinction of a 250th 
anniversary has not yet been the good fortune of many of 
our towns, though we trust that it is in store for all, even 
as many a happy couple looks forward to some golden 
wedding as the culmination of a long life of good deeds. 

It only remains to offer my heart-felt congratulations 
to beautiful Norwich upon this event so soon to become 
one of the brightest pages in her already notable history, 
and to say to Faith Trumbull chapter. Ye have fought the 
good fight of faith — faith in the principles of that society 
which you are honoring in your patriotic action of to-day ; 
faith in the principles of human generosity and unselfishness 
which you are memorializing to-day; and faith in all those 
qualities that made Faith Trumbull a woman to be loved. 



PRESENTATION OF FOUNTAIN. 89 

a patriot to be honored, and an example to be followed ; and 
thus, in your high endeavors does Faith Trumbull live again 
in these her Daughters — fighting even yet the good fight of 
faith. 

At the conclusion of Mrs. Buel's greeting Ebenezer 
Learned sang the "Connecticut State Hymn," written by the 
blind composer, Fanny j. Crosby, and adopted by the state 
legislature as the state hymn. 'J'he assemblage joined in 
the chorus and Hatch's band accompanied. 

Presentation of Fountain. 

j\Irs. Ellen M. R. Bishop made the presentation of the 
fountain to the city through Mayor Costello Lippitt, and 
said : 

Honorable Costello Lippitt, Mayor of the City of Norwich, 
and Friends : 

Representing the members of Faith Trumbull chapter. 
Daughters of the American Revolution, it is my privilege 
in their name to present to the city of Norwich, through you, 
its representative, this memorial fountain. 

The national society of the D. A. R. was organized 
eighteen years ago for patriotic, historical and educational 
purposes. Inspired by the high ideals of the society to 
which it belongs. Faith Trumbull chapter has continued the 
work which was inaugurated in Norwich by its former 
citizens who erected monuments to the memory of Capt. 
John Mason, Uncas, Miantonomo, and to the donors of 
Chelsea Parade — Joseph Perkins, Thomas Fanning and 
Joshua Lathrop. 

We have, with the invaluable aid of the late George S. 
Porter, been able to identify and mark the last resting place 
of the little band of French soldiers who came to this 
country as a part of the army of General Lafayette and who 
were buried in unmarked and almost forgotten graves at 
Norwich Town. 

We have placed upon enduring bronze the names of 
the Revolutionary soldiers whose dust lies in the Old Bury- 



90 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

ing Ground, We have also marked in granite some of the 
historic Revolutionary houses, and now^ we have put in 
permanent form our tribute to the memory of two men 
whose deed of generosity in the year 1811 had at least few 
duplicates. It is comparatively easy to follow where others 
lead, but Hezekiah Perkins and Jabez Huntington were 
among those who led that others might follow. 

Though but the brief space of one hundred years has 
elapsed since they gave this land to Norwich, we find it 
difficult to gather many facts about their daily lives. 

They lived as respected citizens in the two houses at 
our left, now occupied by Mrs. Charles M. Coit and Mrs. H. 
H. Osgood, and their descendants bear testimony that they 
were Christian men, and the records show that they were 
men of business ability, Jabez Huntington being the second 
president of the Norwich Savings Society, which after the 
lapse of one hundred years is so ably represented here 
to-day in the person of Mayor Lippitt. But the deed of 
generosity which gave to Norwich this open space will be 
their memorial when other facts concerning their lives are 
forgotten. 

How far-reaching their influence has been, none can 
tell; the same spirit that prompted them to benefit their 
native town has also influenced other citizens to give Laurel 
Hill park, the large tract of land now known as Mohegan 
park, and the fair Lowthorpe meadows. 

Magnificent gifts have been made all over the land for 
park purposes, but we place our memorial fountain 
reverently upon this little plot given by men who were 
among the pioneers in this movement. 

While we perpetuate the memory of these two whose 
love for their fellow men prompted this gift, let us, as we 
enjoy this grateful shade, not forget George B. Ripley, who 
lived in the third house below at our left, now occupied by 
his daughters, the Misses Ripley. He too, loved his fellow- 
men and with desire to serve them outlined the park with 
young trees, thus beautifying the gift of Mr. Perkins and 
Mr. Huntington. 



MAYOR LIPPITt's RESPONSE. 9 1 

We as a chapter in this pubHc way wish to thank all 
of our friends and the descendants of these two gentlemen 
who have contributed liberally toward our fountain fund, 
and we Avould also thank Mayor Lippitt and the city officials 
who have on this 250th anniversary set young trees to re- 
place those planted by Mr. Ripley which are now suffering 
from blight and must soon die. 

Fifty years hence, when others gather under the shade 
of these trees as we do to-day, may they receive fresh in- 
spiration from us, as we from those who have preceded us, 
and so the influence of those who have gone before repeat 
itself for good in the generations to follow. 

Miss Mary Lanman Huntington, grand-daughter of 
Jabez Huntington, and Miss Helen Lathrop Perkins, great 
grand-daughter of Hezekiah Perkins, then proceeded to 
the fountain, about three hundred feet from the speakers' 
stand, and removing the stars and stripes, revealed the 
granite fountain with bubbling drinking tubes and with 
drinking bowls on the lower sides for dogs and birds. 

This ceremony over, Mrs. Bishop, continuing, said: 
Mayor Lippitt : In your custody and that of the city of 
Norwich we place our memorial fountain. May it, like 
this open space and these trees, prove a blessing to the 
children who play here from early spring to late fall ; to 
the visitors who come in increasing numbers to our city and 
loiter in this park; to the lovers who occupy its benches, 
and to those who come from the heated quarters of the 
town and spend their summer evenings here. 

It is not a large gift which we leave with you to-day, 
but we hope that in the dispensing of one of God's free gilts 
to the public it may bring unalloyed comfort. 

Mayor Lippitt accepted the gift in behalf of the city in 
the following words: 
Mrs. Bishop and Ladies of Faith Trumbull Chapter: 

We rejoice that there are not only "Sons" but also 
"Daughters" of the American Revolution, equally patriotic 



92 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

the one with the other ; and that in these "piping times of 
peace," when there are no rude alarms of war, no call for 
them to make clothing and send supplies to the soldiers at 
the front or nurse the sick and wounded in hospitals, they 
can and do commemorate their illustrious deeds in enduring 
bronze and granite. 

That also they recognize the service of those public 
spirited citizens who with generous forethought have long 
ago learned the great truth that the highest happiness to 
be gotten out of life is secured by contributing to the com- 
fort and happiness of others. 

With that purpose you have gathered here to-day to 
perpetuate with this beautiful fountain, in close proximity 
to their former homes, the memory of those honored 
citizens, Hezekiah Perkins and Jabez Huntington, who gave 
this "open space" for the comfort and enjoyment of present 
and future generations. 

In the name and in behalf of the city of Norwich, which 
I have the distinguished honor to represent, I gratefully 
accept your beautiful and appropriate memorial gift, with 
the assurance that it will be to all who shall hereafter enjoy 
its "unalloyed comfort" not only a perpetual reminder of 
the generous donors of this Little Plain but also of the 
loyalty and patriotic zeal of the ladies of Faith Trumbull 
Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Rev. Edwin W. Bishop. D.D., a native of Norwich, now 
of Oak Park, 111., was presented by the Regent of Faith 
Trumbull chapter, and said, in part: 

Madame Regent, Daughters of the American Revolution, 
Fellow Countrymen and Fellow Townsmen : 

These days through which we are now passing are full 
of intense interest to every inhabitant and to every native 
son and daughter of this beautiful city, rightly called "The 
Rose of New England." With its princely streets and 
stately elms — alas! that so many which used to be yonder 
are no more — with its dignified homes, with its magnificent 
schools and with its splendid traditions that root back into 



REV. DR. BISHOP S ADDRESS. 93 

a great historic past, Norwich is the fond mother of proud 
sons and daughters who at this time throng back to do her 
honor and reverence. 

Fellow townsmen, 1 bring to you to-day the greetings 
of the great west as voiced in the well known words of 
Kii)ling: 

Oh the east is east and the west is west 
And never the twain shall meet. 

Till earth and sky stand presently before God's judgment 
seat. 

But there is neither east nor west, 
Ncr border, nor breed, nor birth, 
W hen two strong men stand face to face. 
Though they come from the ends of the earth. 

Norwich has been particularly favored in the past by 
numbering among its citizens a goodly fellowship of public 
spirited men. Such time honored names as Perkins, Hunt- 
ington, Blackstone, Lanman, Slater and many others would 
have been a goodly heritage for any city. These men were 
not satisfied merely to live in the present, but they builded 
for the future. They were men of vision ; and true states- 
manship, whether national or local, is always a result of 
\ision, for where there is no vision, according to a very old 
book, the people perish. (Hven vision, however, and untold 
generations will rise up and call you blessed. 

One of the crowning glories of Norwich is that it has 
had men of vision. We are standing on a little plot of 
ground familiarly known as the Little Plain. We may not 
all be aware that we are here to-day because of the vision 
of two i)ublic spirited citizens in the hoary past — Captain 
Hezekiah Perkins and Jabez Huntington — who were 
pioneers in a movement which has resulted in large gifts of 
land for similar purposes since. Up at the end of this street 
stands an institution of which every citizen and son of 
Norwich is proud. She may not be the greatest in Israel, 
but along with Daniel Webster referring to Dartmouth 
College, there be those of us that have reason to love her. 
Many of us have lit our lamps with her oil and fed at her 



94 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

table. Why this Free Academy with her honored traditions 
and inspiring history? Because of the vision quality in Dr. 
John P. Gulliver and others with him who saw and dared to 
follow what they saw — a vision ! 

Here on this Little Plain which has not echoed to the 
tramp of armed feet so much as the Great Plain yonder, 
dedicated therefore in the atmosphere of peace for the pur- 
poses of peace, the Faith Trumbull chapter of the Daughters 
of the American Revolution have conceived in vision of 
this added aesthetic attraction to the public architecture of 
Norwich, while at the same time ministering to our humble 
creature needs. It is altogether fitting that this memorial 
to Captain Hezekiah Perkins and Jabez Huntington, 
planned by women, should be just what it is, not a statue 
or a memorial window, but a fountain of generosity which 
will stand here, not to be ministered unto, but to minister 
and to give of its cool delights for the service of many. 
And to me not the least significant feature is the provision 
whereby not only mankind but also the small animal may 
slake his thirst. 

Daughters of the American Revolution, may the 
knowledge that you have ministered to the needs of even the 
humblest of earth's creatures be to you a source of genuine 
satisfaction. 

As I come back to my native heath from time to time, 
and especially as I come back this time, I am reminded that, 
like the Apostle Paul, I too was once a citizen of no mean 
city! 

From Greeneville to the West Side and from Laurel 
Hill to Norwich Town, may the name of old Norwich be 
kept ever bright because the visions of her sons shall equal 
the visions of their sires and the virtue and the service of 
her daughters shall be in no wise inferior to the virtues 
and the service of the matrons of the past ! God bless the 
state of Connecticut, and doubly bless old Norwich ! 

The closing address by Mrs. Sara T. Kinney of Hart- 
ford, honorary state regent of the Connecticut Society, 
Daughters of the American Revolution, was as follows: 



MRS. KIXXEY S ADDRESS. 95 

Madame Regent, Members and Guests of Faith Trumbull 
Chapter: 

The Rose of New England is abloom to-day. Every 
gift of grace, color and fragrance is hers without reserva- 
tion. Pomp and ceremony are also hers — the blare of trum- 
pets, the roll of drums, the boom of cannon, the peal of 
bells, the stately tramp, tramp of the uniformed hosts — are 
all for Her. The president of the United States and the 
governor of our commonwealth have honored the occasion 
with their presence — distinguished men and women from far 
and near are here to rejoice with this radiant Rose. In 
prayer, speech and song a great historical event has been 
celebrated and consecrated, and last, but not least, the 
Daughters of the American Revolution have added their 
tribute of remembrance for yesterday, of rejoicing for, 
to-day, and of refreshment for to-morrow. 

The past, the present and the future are each repre- 
sented in the gift which Faith Trumbull chapter. Daughters 
of the American Revolution, presents this morning to its 
beloved Rose. 

This memorial fountain is a very gracious gift to the 
town from the Daughters of Norwich, and it signifies to 
us the afifection of Faith Trumbull chapter for the home of 
its birth. It also marks an epoch in the history of the town. 
It is a worthy example of what Daughters of the American 
Revolution are doing all through the land, and especially 
right here in Connecticut, in accentuating the raison d'etre 
of our organization. For 250 years Norwich has been 
making history, and the time has now come for marking- 
history, lest future generations forget. I am not here to 
voice the gratitude of Norwich to Faith Trumbull chapter 
for this notable gift, nor am I to speak, more than briefly, 
of the pride and pleasure which every Connecticut "Daugh- 
ter" feels in this achievement. But I do regard myself 
as a committee of one to express to the chapter the appre- 
ciation and gratitude for this kindly and generous thought 
for their comfort, of our feathered friends, who will later 



g6 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

on sing your praises in their own fashion; and of our truest, 
most loving and most lovable four-footed friends, **The 
little dogs — Tray, Blanch and Sweetheart," also the "Mas- 
tiff, Greyhound, Mongrel, Grim, Hound, or Spaniel, brach 
or lym, or bobtail tyke, or trundle-tail." 

They are all friends of mine and, as they are not repre- 
sented on to-day's programme I am taking it upon myself 
to try and make clear to you the gratitude which fills their 
hearts for this cool, life saving bounty which you have pro- 
vided for them. "This is the goblet from whose brink, all 
creatures that have life must drink." 

Therefore, Madam Regent, in behalf of those who 
speak a language strange to us, but who wear the unmis- 
takable insignia of friendliness and loyalty to man and 
womankind, I tender to Faith Trumbull chapter the thanks 
for this gift to them, of the birds of the air, and the four- 
footed guardians and lovers of our homes. 

We do not forget Faith Trumbull's commemorative 
achievements in past years — the marking of historic sites, 
the monument to our French allies in the Revolutionary 
War, and the memorial gates at the entrance of the God's 
acre where those patriots sleep their last sleep. 

Faith Trumbull Chapter is living up to its high and 
happy privileges as a commemorative, historical and patri- 
otic organization, and over and over again has it justified its 
right to continued existence as such an organization. It is 
also justified in congratulating itself and in inviting the 
congratulations of its friends upon having become an 
ackowledged factor for good in this community. 

The society which we have the honor to represent — the- 
largest patriotic, hereditary society in the world — was 
organized for a definite purpose. It is not a social club, but 
has a well defined mission of its own, which includes, among 
other things, the duty of keeping green the memory of the 
spirit of the heroes and heroines who achieved American 
independence, and of emblazoning their names upon the 



LITERARY EXERCISES. 97 

walls of the Hall of Fame which each of us has erected with- 
in our ow'n heart. To set for ourselves a high standard of 
personal and social ethics, to save history, to inculcate the 
principles of a Christian patriotism in the hearts of the peo- 
ple — to do all we can and may do to make this a country 
with a conscience — these are among the things that Daugh- 
ters of the American Revolution accept as a large part of the 
mission imposed upon them by their heritage of noble blood, 
and by their unwritten vows when they place their names 
upon the long and ever growing muster-roll of those who 
are descended from the makers of a mighty nation. 

The exercises on the Little Plain closed with the sing- 
ing of ''America," with band accompaniment. 

Literary Exercises. 

The literary exercises of the celebration were held at 
the Broadway Theater on Tuesda}^ afternoon, when a large 
audience listened with interest to the unfolding of Norwich 
history by the orators of the day. 

Seated upon the stage with the general chairman of 
the celebration, Hon. Winslow T. Williams, wdio was presi- 
dent of the day, were the three speakers — President Harry 
A. Garfield of Williams college. Judge Samuel O. Prentice 
of Hartford and Arthur L. Shipman of Hartford ; Principal 
H. A. Tirrell, Mayor Costello Lippitt, Dr. Samuel H. Howe, 
First Selectman A. D. Lathrop, A. L. Comstock, Executive 
Committee Chairman Edwin A. Tracy and Fire Chief 
Howard L. Stanton. 

The choir of seventy voices, directed by Frederick W'. 
Lester, and the Harmony club for the orchestra, were also 
seated upon the stage, and the latter opened the programme 
with a well rendered selection. 

The introductory address was made by President 
Williams as follows: 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Sons and Daughters of dear old 
Norwich, who this day welcomes home her children : 



98 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

On behalf of the general committee of more than 250 
citizens chosen by a mass meeting of this town, I have the 
distinguished honor of being the official head of this celebra- 
tion and the great pleasure of presiding at this meeting. 

I realize, as we all do, the local, state and national im- 
portance of the historical events which we are celebrating, 
and the pride and gratification we feel at being, by ties of 
blood, residence and love, connected with this ancient town 
and unique city. 

This quarter millennium of the founding of the town of 
Norwich by John Mason and his hardy company of 35, and 
these exercises commemorative thereof are of the deepest 
interest and significance. There is scarcely a community 
in this wide country, north, east, west and south, from 
Maine to California, from Florida to Washington, in Alaska, 
our insular possessions in the blue Pacific and in the West 
Indies, but has at least one voice claiming common heritage 
with us, and reverence, gratitude and pride toward all those 
who have gone before and left their mark in the 250 years 
of struggle, adversity and success, on this age and genera- 
tion and on this hallowed and historic ground. 

This is an epoch-making age and generation, and this 
town has borne no small part in the development of these 
United States. 

The sons and daughters Norwich has sent out who 
have carved for themselves names of honor and national 
repute are too many to record here. Many states and cities 
look on Norwich as grandchildren on their grandmother, 
giving her the honor due her age and experience. This 
grandmother shows to-day by her beauty and perennial 
charms that her heart is still young, taking her honors 
lightly, loving and loved by all. 

Each succeeding generation has left its mark, and what 
our fathers have accomplished we can carry on with in- 
creased impetus and add yet other laurel wreaths of success 
to those which commemorate the progress toward the ful- 
filment of all that Norwich is destined to achieve. 



MR. WILLIAMS S ADDRESS. 99 

We may well congratulate ourselves on the exceptional 
mark of interest the president of the United States, William 
H. Taft, has shown by his visit on this occasion. The 
presence of the governor of this state and so many dis- 
tinguished guests gives added lustre and dignity to our 
celebration. 

Our minds are crowded with the wonderful scenes 
these hills have witnessed. Ages long before the fabled 
beauties of this country were whispered by the Indians to 
the white men, stirring scenes took place. 

The early history of the settlement is full of historic 
tableaux. The struggles and sacrifices of Norwich during 
the Revolutionary period are engraved in letters of gold on 
her escutcheon. Norwich's noble reply to her country's 
demands at the time of her threatened disruption are so 
recent as to be familiar to us all. 

And to-day we gather together to unite in this memo- 
rial celebration, looking backward upon its cherished his- 
tory and forward with clear eye to the future and all its 
promises. 

The year 1659 was a memorable one in the history of 
this town. Our speakers this afternoon will tell us the 
thrilling and honorable history of the Rose of New England. 
Suffice it to say, in thinking of the half century since our 
last celebration, our minds are filled with awe at our won- 
derful development in arts, industries and education, and 
in the fast pace set us by the world's incomparable progress 
and inventions I believe we can still hold our own. 

Many of the honored names of two and a half centuries 
are still with us, and added thereto are many younger 
names in this great country who are winning fame and 
honor. 

American stock and the best of our adopted sons and 
daughters, forming a new American heraldry, will still 
support and cherish American prestige, Connecticut tradi- 
tion and Norwich destiny. 

This address was followed by the anthem, "Great and 
\\'onderful Are Thy V/orks" (Spohr), beautifully sung by 



lOO NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

the choir. The Rev. Dr. Samuel H. Howe followed with the 
reading of the Scripture and prayer. 

Words of welcome were extended by Mayor Lippitt, 
who spoke as follows : 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 

Though it seems somewhat irregular and quite out of 
the usual course to welcome guests to whom we have 
already said farewell, it certainly Avould be a cause for 
lasting regret were we to fail to express our appreciation 
of the visit to our ancient town and city of the president of 
the United States and the governor of Connecticut, both of 
whom, in response to our invitation, at considerable incon- 
venience to themselves, laid aside the engrossing cares of 
nation and state that they might grace this anniversary 
occasion by their presence. 

While we feel confident that the cordial greetings of 
yesterday and the universal manifestation of regard ex- 
tended by the people was to them a sure recognition of the 
distinguished honor conferred upon us, we yet feel con- 
strained to add our word of welcome, at this time, that 
there may be a permanent record of the fact of their visit 
to us, and a due expression of our gratitude therefor. 

And what shall we say of our other guests who have 
come and gone. The midshipmen of our navy, the Putnam 
Phalanx, the Governor's Foot Guard, the United States 
regulars, and other organizations that helped to make up 
the magnificent pageant of yesterday ! To all these we say 
"Hail and farewell." 

To these distinguished guests to whom we are about 
to listen, sons or "near-sons" of Norwich, who come with 
greetings from college halls, business office and court room, 
we extend a most cordial welcome, and we are deeply grate- 
ful for their willingness to add so largely to the interest 
and success of this occasion. We realize that it is no small 
matter for men just closing the busiest time of the year, 
without rest or recuperation, to undertake the service they 
so cheerfully render, and so all the more we desire to ex- 
press our appreciation therefor. 



MAYOR LIPPITT S ADDRESS. lOI 

To the descendants of the "white man's friend," the 
great chief, Uncas, some of whom are still with us, to the 
sons and daughters of the Founders, who have established 
for themselves homes in all parts of our country, carrying 
with them the New England character and enterprise, and 
to those W'ho have "found us" later, yet who are equally 
glad to come back and renew the associations of the dear 
home town and city, to one and all w^e say, "Welcome, 
thrice welcome." 

May your sojourn be as joyous to you as it is pleasant 
to us, and may it renew and strengthen your love for the 
Rose of New^ England, whose anniversary we celebrate. 
When again we shall return to our homes and take up 
anew the strenuous duties of life, may this brief visit to the 
sacred shrines of olden time be an inspiration to grander 
and nobler effort, and, like the honored men and women 
of the early days, may our lives find their vindication in the 
deeds we have wrought. 

President Harry A. Garfield of Williams College, a son 
of President James A. Garfield and a descendant of the Rev. 
James Fitch, was then introduced by Mr. WiUiams, and 
delivered the following address on the Early History of 
Norwich : 

The history of the first century and a quarter of Norwich 
is a history of quiet growth, of the gradual development of 
a century of vigorous national life. There were stirring 
times, especially at the beginning, and until the red men 
had ceased to be a menace ; but, taken as a whole, the period 
from the settlement to the Revolution was a period of 
preparation. It was the period of strong root growth upon 
which so much of the future of the tree depends. Before 
1659 was the unbroken forest for the conflict of warring 
tribes. After 1783 came industrial development and a sense 
of nationality. Had the growth of the American colonies 
approached in rapidity the development of the American 
states, we should to-day be neither so strong nor so far 
advanced. It was a slow growth of the century before the 



102 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Revolution that gave to the United States its fiber and de- 
termined the quality of its institutions. 



A Brave Company. 

It was indeed a brave company that followed Major 
John Mason and his venerated pastor, Rev. James Fitch, 
from Saybrook, to the plantation in Mohegan territory in 
the fall of 1659, and the imagination is easily excited by 
the too meagre accounts which have come down to us of 
the adventures of those hardy settlers and their experiences. 
Tales of the warpath and of the pioneer have a fascination 
for children and for all ages — including" the grown-ups. 
But of equal or of greater importance is the history of the 
"forgotten half century," when the third and fourth genera- 
tions, resting content with what their fathers had begun, 
developed by degrees, so small as to be imperceptible, 
except on long periods of time, the sentiments, ideals, the 
strength and sturdiness of a generation destined to create 
a new standard of excellence for the nations. The men of 
1776 and 1787 knew what they believed and why they be- 
lieved it. Whatever inheritance can do, and it is perhaps 
less in a specific way than we are apt to think, had been 
done. The men of that day had inherited, at the least, 
sturdy bodies, normal minds and tendencies to look at 
things in a sane and normal way. They had been reared 
as their fathers and grandfathers had been reared, to fear 
God, to believe in the necessity of hard work, and to use 
their minds as well as their hands. If in the earlier years 
"book learning" was not extensive, it seems fairly safe to 
assume that its quality was intensive and therefore of the 
sort known in pedagogics as a discipline. 



Norwich Avoided Law. 

By the early laws of the colonies every town of thirteen 
families was ordered to maintain a school at which reading 



DR. GARFIELD S ADDRESS. IO3 

and Avriting- were taught. But the records of Norwich con- 
tained no mention of a schoohiiaster until 1677. Probably 
no reg"ular school was maintained during those first seven- 
teen years, when the forests were being cleared and the 
"nine miles square" were converted from an Indian hunting 
ground to a New England village, with its main street and 
neighboring farms. Whatever was done by way of teach- 
ing was doubtless accomplished after the day's work was 
over, while the long twilight lasted or when the shut-in 
season found the children quartered about the wide- 
mouthed fire-places of those wilderness homes, by fathers 
and mothers, who remembered less strenuous but not 
happier days across the sea, and who perhaps found it con- 
venient to dispel visions of hostile attacks by prowling red- 
men before the children were tucked up for the night. But 
we are told that in 1677 arrangements were made for nine 
months of schooling at a stipend for the teacher which 
makes the much complained of salaries of to-day seem 
quite sumptuous. 

John Birchard was engaged, and the town obligated 
itself to pay £25 for his support. Whether the name of 
the schoolmaster was regarded as significant we are not 
told ; but unless the first settlers of Norwich were entirely 
devoid of a sense of humor, it must have occurred to some 
of less serious mind that the surname of this moulder of the 
youthful mind was particularly appropriate to the theory 
of sparing the rod and spoiling the child, and when the 
birch w^as the only assistant of the hard-worked school- 
master. 



Teachers from New London. 

In 1683 John Hough and .Samuel Roberts came up from 
New London, and taking up their residence in the new 
town built the first school house, and thenceforth reading 
and writing were regularly taught from two to eight or 
nine months each vear. 



I04 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

By the close of the century, however, the good work 
died out, and we read that with the opening of the new 
century Norwich was "presented" to the grand jury "for 
the want of a school to instruct children." Perhaps the 
New England primer, with which was printed the West- 
minster catechism, was regarded as a too limited curriculum 
for a community that had been distinguished by the resi- 
dence of a deputy governor, or it may be that no suitable 
successor had been found to John Birchard. However that 
may be, Norwich managed to evade the educational re- 
quirements of the colony for some nine years, until 1709, 
when the town repented of its waywardness, and resolved 
that it would comply with the law and have a schoolmaster, 
this time in the person of Richard Bushnell, who had 
taught for a short time in 1697, and who was re-engaged. 

Apparently, from 1712, school was kept throughout the 
year, for we hear of no more grand jury presentments for 
neglect in this respect. It must not be supposed from this 
account of a somewhat broken school record that Norwich 
fell behind her sister towns in appreciation of the things 
of the mind or in zeal for achievement in that direction. 
Indeed, the evidence goes quite to the contrary, for before 
the beginning of the Revolution, the town could boast of 
forty college graduates, two from Harvard, five from 
Princeton, thirty-three from Yale, and almost, if not quite 
all, of them were of the families of the first settlers. Several 
of them became scholars of note in the colonies. What 
were the influences that roused the ambitions of so many 
young men to seek a college education? They w^ere many 
and so inwrought that they are not to be separated from the 
common life of the community. 

Begin with what later achievement you will, the in- 
quiring mind is led back to the sources from which flowed 
pure and strong the life of the place. It is impossible to 
recount all of them, for they were as many as there were 
people and customs and institutions. The community sense 
of all made each a material factor in the life and growth of 
the settlement. 



DR. GARFIELD S ADDRESS. IO5 

Impression on Young People. 

But certain people and experiences must have made 
deeper impressions on the young people of the town than 
others. It is not difficult to imagine what must have been 
the impression made upon the children born in the colony 
of parents who came out from the old home. Their earliest 
remembrances are of the great fireplace in the room which 
served both as kitchen and sitting room. Here they gath- 
ered after the evening meal. From the small open recess 
beside the fireplace the mother takes down a volume, one 
of a choice number and few brought from home — the old 
home across the sea — and reads the words made familiar 
through much reading. No fairy stories those nor pleasing- 
tales of adventure, but rather something very sombre and 
solemn, never quite comprehensible to the young mind, but 
accepted as are all things when the mother's voice carries 
conviction in its tone. 

People were very serious in those days. They had em- 
barked on a life or death journey into the new world and 
God was immanent in their lives. On the table near by 
was the great family Bible, an awesome book from which 
father read aloud morning and evening. His voice was 
never quite the same then as on other occasions. 

Above the fireplace hangs an old musket which occa- 
sionally comes down for active service but usually serves 
as a theme for a story of thrilling experiences with the 
Indians. And then the bustle and hum as the mother pre- 
pares the meals, the sight of the flitches of bacon and 
venison, the strings of dried apples and chains of sausages 
hung from the rafters overhead and the smell of the baking 
beans and of the boiling pot of turnips and of the pudding, 
hanging in its bag, set appetite on edge. The whole re- 
mained a picture in the mind until the hair had grown white 
and the years many. 

Then there was the climb up the hill to the meeting 
house of a Sabbath day. Not the old first meeting house 
on the green, but the second one, built in 1673 by John 



I06 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Elderkin at a cost to the town of 428 pounds plus certain 
lands granted after the work was done to make good the 
loss of good man Elderkin, the carpenter, and to compensate 
Rev. James Fitch, who had furnished the nails. To the 
children of the day going to meeting must have been an 
impressive event, for the men carried their muskets and 
the militiamen were present as a special guard. In the 
square pew nearest the pulpit sat the great men of the town, 
a distinction determined by vote and rearranged, as was 
the entire seating, every three or four years. 



Inspired Fear and Respect. 

It was a day of dignity and deference and children grew 
up to respect those in authority. There was Major John 
Mason, the military leader, deputy governor and one of 
the judges of the colony, wdiose rigid and imperious 
speeches doubtless inspired the youthful mind with some- 
thing approaching fear, especially when the story of the 
slaughter of the Pequots was recalled. Near by were 
Deacon Thomas Adgate and Deacon Simon Huntington 
and John Birchard, who was town clerk and justice of the 
peace before he served the town as a schoolmaster. There, 
also were regularly to be seen all except those whom sick- 
ness or extreme old age kept at home; for the grand jury 
kept sharp watch on shirkers and did not hesitate to make 
presentments of members of the community "for living 
alone and neglecting the Sabbath." 

It is unnecessary to go over the list, for it contains the 
names of all the inhabitants. If any came into that young 
community he was viewed with suspicion and unless he 
straightway gave indication of living according to the rules 
and prescribed customs of the place he was ordered to 
move on. In other words, obedience was emphasized at all 
points in the child's life, by what it saw and heard of the 
way in which the rebellious members of the community 
were treated, as well as by admonishments at home. 



DR. GARFIELD S ADDRESS. 10/ 

Strongest Incentive to Young Men. 

But the men who furnished the strongest incentive to 
the young men of the first century of Norwich's existence 
to seek a college education were the first pastor, the l\e\ . 
James Fitch and his two successors, John \\'oodward and Dr. 
Lord, who between them guided the religious life of the 
community, at any rate of the Congregational section of it — 
and at the outset there was no other — for 125 years. Their 
lives and characters have been so fully dealt with during the 
l)ast two days that it is unnecessary for me to do more than 
call attention to the fact that they were scholars as well as 
ministers of the gospel and that to their influence and under 
their direct guidance and instruction many a young man was 
led to appreciate the beauties of the classics as well as the 
comforting message of the gospel. To this list of educators 
should be added Richard Bushnell, who besides teaching 
the school, as already denoted, was a poet, an officer of the 
militia, and filled several town and colony offices with 
credit; Col. Simon Lothrop, "an upright man, zealous in 
religion, faithful in training up his family, and much re- 
spected and esteemed for his abilities and social virtues;" 
Rev. Elijah Waterman, who was "distinguished as a suc- 
cessful teacher of the classics," and Theophilus Abell, whose 
library of thirty volumes was notable for its size and who 
himself was a religious teacher. 

How was it this early country developed as it did and 
assisted in the development of the United States when 
they became states? In Norwich more than in any other 
town there was a spirit of independence, in orders and cus- 
toms, there being no feeling that they w^ere here under the 
king. I'Tom the first days we see the forefathers handing 
df)wn the spirit of freedom and independence. \Miile this 
was going on here, witness the development in the condi- 
tions in England, where it took two centuries to accomplish 
what was done here in four generations. 

Up to 1688 there was absolute power held by the king 
and after that the prime minister was made answerable to 
parliament. Here we found people representing communi- 



I08 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

ties from which they came. Now the currents are meeting 
and we are learning from England as England learned 
from us. 

In closing his address Dr. Garfield said that he had 
found much pleasure in looking up the old history, but he 
had dwelt upon it so long that upon his arrival here he was 
almost surprised to see paved streets, bunting and electric 
lights and was almost prepared to be on the lookout for the 
redskins. He was glad, however, to congratulate Norwich 
for its progress and for the citizens it has turned out. 

The hymn by Dr. Leonard Bacon, ''O God, Beneath 
Thy Guiding Hand," was then sung by the choir and 
audience. 

In introducing Arthur L. Shipman of Hartford for an 
address on the Circumstances Leading to the Incorporation 
of the City, Mr. Williams said : 

Had not our ancestors been of a roving disposition, one 
of our speakers, Arthur L. Shipman, would probably not be 
here to-day. He is a descendant of Thomas Lefifingwell, 
and we want him to tell us when he intends to return to 
Norwich as his home. 

Mr. Shipman began his address by saying that Norwich 
had always been a second home to him, and that he with 
his brother and sister were the last of the Shipman descend- 
ants of Nathaniel Shipman who know Norwich, for which 
he always held profound respect. He continued as follows : 

The lifetime of Norwich as a town is just double its 
age as a city. The incorporation of the city marked the 
recognition of a change in the economic and political condi- 
tion of the state and of the township. 

In 1784 many of the towns of the state had passed the 
plantation stage and entered a life of varied industrial in- 
terests. The events preceding the Revolutionary war, and 
the war itself, had given the people at large a more adequate 
conception of the sphere and functions of government. 
Town meetings had been numerous. Committees ap- 
pointed at such meetings had been in active com- 



MR. SHIPMAN S ADDRESS. IO9 

niunication with similar officials of other towns. Service 
in the army, and travel on civil business for the new govern- 
ment, had brought men of Connecticut and of other states 
in closer touch. History and international law had been 
studied in all accessible books. The resulting public per- 
ception of the new relations of things industrial and political 
came, broadly speaking, about half-way between the settle- 
ment of Norwich and the present time. 

What led up to the incorporation of the city of Norwich 
and its life and that of the town for some years after- 
wards, it is my part to describe briefly. 

Nine Miles Square. 

The "nine miles square" was purchased and settled by 
a self-selected company. As a community, it cut the for- 
ests, grubbed the underbrush, tilled the fields ; launched 
first the shallop, then the sloop, and finally the ship. It 
was the community also that turned the trails to bridle 
paths, and then to wagon roads. All this it did with perse- 
verance, in the fear of God, and with honorable self-respect. 
The founders and their descendants to the third generation 
were no mere hewers of wood and drawers of water. Who 
they were, we know. What they did, we can never know, 
in spite of far more abundant data than most towns can 
boast. The glory of their achievement we can well appre- 
ciate, but never can express. No address, even as eloquent 
and complete as that to which we have just listened, can 
do it, and our fathers, justice. Of some things, however, in 
the past of Norwich, we are sure. We know that the figures 
of these fathers and mothers of ours do not bulk unduly 
large in retrospect, magnified by the mists of time. Mason 
and Tracy, Fitch, Leffingwell, and their companions, were 
men such as our imaginations now paint them — the outlines 
correct, the colors in proper tone. 

We must not forget that our fathers called this place a 
"plantation." Here they settled as a community. As a 
company they bought this land. The government of Eng- 



no NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

land to them — was it a shadow, or not? Historians and 
Lawyers can debate for days upon that subject, but there is 
no tribunal to determine it. But of the relations of the plan- 
tation to the colony there can be no difference of opinion. 
At a session October 3, 1661, Major Mason, deputy gov- 
ernor, presiding", the general court ordered "the secretary 
to write a letter to Xorridge to send up a committee in May 
next, invested with full power to issue of the affair respect- 
ing settling that plantation under the government" ; and in 
May following the freemen from Norwich were presented 
and accepted and sworn by Major Mason. The general 
court granted title to lands within the plantation itself. In- 
deed, it was originally called upon to confirm Uncas's deed 
to the company, provided "that it shall not prejudice any 
former grant to our worshipful governor or others." Yet 
it is still claimed by some accepted historians that Con- 
necticut was a confederacy of towns. 

It was in 1783 that 175 freemen of the town of Norwich, 
then containing Bozrah, Franklin, Lisbon, and a part of 
Preston as well, petitioned for the incorporation of the 
Landing and the uptown district as a city. Their reasons 
were stated in their memorial as follows : 

"That your memorialists, from their local circumstances, 
are not able to gain a subsistence by agriculture : That, 
therefore, they have for many years past turned their atten- 
tion to commerce and mechanical arts : That, during the late 
w^ar they have been unfortunate in their navigation, having 
the greatest part captured by the enemy and burnt and 
destroyed by them when they were at New London." 

The memorial goes on to complain that the internal 
police system is defective ; that good wharves and streets 
are lacking; and, finally, that they must have a court of 
their own. 

I shall not attempt to detail the subsequent changes in 
the local governments of the various parts of the original 
town plot. They have been lately fully chronicled ; but 
they have more than a purely historic interest, for they 
illustrate the imperfect relations wdiich have always existed 



MR. SIIIPMAX S ADDRESS. Ill 

between the state and the niunicipahties. Of course, Con- 
necticut is not peculiar in this respect, but she has yielded, 
on the whole, more than her sister states to temptations to 
sj^ecial legislation. 

Reason for Town. 

The Connecticut town exists priiuarily to take care of 
roads and bridges, and paupers within its limits. It must 
be of such convenient size that its voters can often meet at 
some central place. The original nine miles square, split, 
as it were, by two rivers, was too large. If town meetings 
were frequent they absorbed too much of the voter's time in 
coming and going. The incorporation of the city, and of the 
three northern and western towns, was approved by a large 
majority of the dwellers in the original township. Later 
legislation, actual and proposed, to alter local boundaries, 
met vigorous opposition. 

In the late years of the eighteenth and the early years 
of the nineteenth centuries, it was apparently the policy of 
Connecticut to regulate municipalities through general laws. 
That practice has unfortunately fallen into abeyance. j\. 
city, in t8oo, was still a novel state agency ; it existed mainly 
to give its inhabitants better roads, sidewalks, police and 
fire protection than they enjoyed under a town management. 
By mistake, too large a territory was included in the original 
city of Norwich. It was difficult for the uptown dwellers 
to secede — that could only be authorized by the general 
assembly. The petitions for change of city lines, presented 
in 1827, disclose disputes which the general assembly, under 
the present constitution and laws, must unfortunately de- 
cide. A controversy over local matters is never so destruc- 
tive to the peace and progress of the community interested 
as when taken before the state legislature. Is there any 
reason, for instance, why Norwich should not have the 
right to manage its private aiTairs, as distinct from its 
public duties, on the (ialveston or Newport plan, or to fol- 
low any other new idea in city governiuent, if it so de- 
sires? 



112 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Another Disadvantage. 

Universal suffrage on questions where a city is acting 
in a private capacity is another disadvantage. Funds must 
be provided by the taxpayers, although the control of an 
election may be with persons having no pecuniary interest 
in the result. Well studied and general legislation provid- 
ing for larger local control of the private affairs of local 
communities, and restricting the right of decision on such 
matters to property owners, is to-day one of the greatest 
needs of American cities. 

The memorialists of 1783 spoke of the "late war." We 
must confess that the results of the war were not as ruinous 
as the petitioners stated. To be sure, Norwich had given 
freely of her substance and men in the long contest: Samuel 
Huntington, in the Continental congress, at one session its 
president — and some day a proper defense of that congress 
will be written ; it has suffered too long the sneers of hostile 
critics ; Joseph Trumbull, dying for his country as loyally 
as if on the battlefield ; Jabez Huntington, the father, at 
home rushing men and supplies to the ever-changing fight- 
ing line ; and his sons, Jedediah, Joshua and Ebenezer, in 
the field, and Andrew as commissary at home — Jedidiah a 
brigadier general, Ebenezer a colonel. And we must not 
forget Chaplain Ellis, Colonels Durkee, Throop and Rogers ; 
the two captains, James Hyde, Captains Nevins, Jedediah 
Hyde, Simeon Huntington and Elisha Prior, or Dr. Turner, 
the beloved and untiring physician and surgeon, or the two 
brothers, Christopher and Benajah Leffingwell. We ought 
not to pass by others equally brave and efficient; but the 
name of Benjamin Huntington stands among them almost 
pre-eminent. He was not at the battlefront, but in matters 
of service at home, in the general court, as agent of the 
town — in all things most sensible and helpful, Norwich 
owed him much during the Revolution, and more later. 

Location a Protection, 

But Norwich was protected during the war by her loca- 
tion. Her position also gave her a good chance for pri- 



MR. SHIPMAX S ADDRESS. II3 

vateering and blockade running. Jedidiah Huntington's 
letters to his father from the army show that even his 
absence did not prevent him from joining eagerly in that 
dangerous game. With the treaty of peace came the com- 
mercial opportunity of Norwich. The West India trade 
flourished briskly. Horses, mules, sheep and swine were 
carried between and on decks by thousands. One wonders 
where they all went to. Each issue of the Connecticut 
Courant of those days calls for "sprightly" or "lively" young 
horses, and hard money would sometimes be offered in ex- 
change, and profits rose by bounds. Indeed, Connecticut 
was so much engaged in money making after the war and 
before the constitutional convention that the necessity for 
a more stable form of national government was not as ap- 
parent to us as to some of our neighbors. When Ellsworth 
hurried from Philadelphia without signing the instrument 
which he and his Connecticut colleagues had been so instru- 
mental in framing he found a general assembly very indif- 
ferent to his persuasions. But Connecticut was federalist 
to the backbone. Roger Sherman in New Haven, the 
Wolcotts in Litchfield, the Champions in Colchester, Wil- 
liam Samuel Johnson in Fairfield, Ellsworth in Hartford, 
the Trumbulls and Huntingtons in Norwich — the state was 
under an oligarchy indeed ; and so it continued until the 
alliance of toleration and democrats finally overthrew it. 

How incomprehensible it was to an old fashioned fed- 
eralist to see Norwich follow strange gods is shown by a 
letter of my great-grandfather which I found the other day. 
He was writing to his son : "The result of the election 
(AprU, 1817) you know. Democrats are on tiptoe. What 
they will attempt when the legislature meets no one can 
tell. I think in Governor Wolcott they have got a Tartar, 
and will not find him exactly the man they wish." What 
the democrats attempted and carried through was the state 
constitution of 1818, and the Tartar, Oliver Wolcott, con- 
tinuously served the state as governor for ten years there- 
after. 



114 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

When Monroe was visiting New London, in the same 
year ( 1817), the old gentleman complained in another letter 
that two good court days were entirely wasted by the 
"huzzaing boys." Three years afterwards the old gentle- 
man had become reconciled to defeat. He is writing to 
his son again : 

"I will take to myself a moment to give you an account 
of our late election of members for the legislature, which 
I fear has terminated in the choice of a larger number of 
democrats than we have ever had before. A number of 
gentlemen met at Hartford in January last and agreed to 
recommend to the electors for senators six federalists and 
six democrats, and in their selection made a ticket of 
twelve persons which for talent and weight of character 
was thought by all reflecting men far superior to the present 
senate. Yet, such is the blind obstinacy of democracy, that 
although great numbers of the party admitted that it would 
be desirable to elect a senate composed of men all parties 
could put confidence in and a large number of our best 
citizens for some weeks before the meeting flattered them- 
selves that the new ticket would succeed, but when we came 
to the trial the same spirit which has long blasted our hopes 
appeared, and Sam Charlton and Calvin Case, carried all 
before them, giving the old senators a majority of sixty in 
this town, and I fear our neighbors are not much better off." 

It is strange that writers of American history are in 
general so unfair to New England sentiment between the 
French Revolution and 181 5. Go over the list of captures 
and confiscations of Norwich vessels prior to the Wslv of 
1812; one after another thev fell into the hands of the British 
or French or both. Often the crews are imprisoned, but 
the moment they strike the northern shore of the sound 
again they re-embark in other ventures. 

Three Reasons for Choice. 

One wonders, of course, why New England, in spite of 
impressment of our seamen by the mother country and her 



MR. SIIIPMAX S ADDRESS. II5 

renunciation of a well settled shipping rule, was so luke- 
warm in its animosity against her, and so hostile to France. 
The reasons are three: In the first place, the French 
privateers of the W est Indies and their depredations on 
New England commerce; secondly, Jefferson was at the 
same time a French adherent and the author of a commer- 
cial policy the stupidest conceivable from our standpoint. 
He had called a halt in navy making and had forced on the 
country the embargo and non-intercourse acts. P)Ut the 
third reason was by far the most important, viz.: The 
feeling in every real X^ew England man that (ireat Britain 
Avas fighting the battle of Christendom against Bonaparte. 
"Suppose England has changed her maritime rules," our 
fathers said, "let us in at the game, no matter what rule she 
makes. Give us seaway, and give us a port ahead — we will 
find our way in. Never mind the cruising frigates or the 
blockade, actual or on paper. Tf w^e are caught, ours the 
loss." 

The thought that, after all, old England might not 
win, himg like a cloud over every New England hamlet. 
Open the limp sheets of those old Connecticut journals. 
Even in our actual fighting days, from 1812 to 1815. clip- 
pings from the English papers that slipped in via Halifax 
were what people wanted most to read — not news of Chip- 
pewa and Eundy's Lane, ^\'ellington and Napoleon were 
the real figures on the world's stage. And our grandfathers 
judged rightly. 

Such were the feelings that gave birth to the Hartford 
convention. Have we in Connecticut anything to apologize 
for in that gathering? Tf so it doesn't appear in its journal 
— and Theodore Dwight was an honest man. Do we wish 
it had never met? If that page were taken from New Eng- 
land history, we should always miss something — a rare 
sample of her sober courage, her four-square view of things 
as they are. If other events — the treaty, and Jackson at 
New Orleans — had not come near at the time of its adjourn- 
ment, its name would never have been spoken with a sneer, 
or written with nullification in the context. 



Il6 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Representatives Were Uptown Men. 

During those days the Landhig took second place and 
the town plot came once again to the fore. The representa- 
tives in the general assembly were uptown men. But with 
the treaty things changed. The federalist party was dying. 
It must needs be that the established church, Yale College, 
and the state, as a triumvirate in Connecticut, must sur- 
render their power. The era of Norwich enterprise in water 
traffic gave way to ventures in manufactures ; men who 
worked with their hands were drawing closely together. 
It was not yet the day of buying labor, but of laboring 
together, apprentices in the shop and in the family as well. 
They were not always likely boys, of course. An advertise- 
ment in the Courier for a runaway apprentice ironically tells 
the public that his master will pay one cent, and no more, 
for the boy's return. The girls of that day apparently 
needed no training. Indeed, in the Connecticut Courant of 
July 5, 1789, I find this item: 

"Stocking looms are now making at Norwich by that 
self-taught, ingenious man, Thomas Harland, already well 
known for the excellence of his fire engines. Cloth shears 
superior to the imported ones have been made since the 
peace in that neighborhood, and that place is likely to be 
the Sheffield of this country. Two girls at Norwich by the 
name Roath, one of 12 and the other of 14 years of age, 
without any instructions respecting that article, or any 
assistance, fabricated 32 yards which weighs one pound, 
ten ounces, avoirdupois weight, and are now sprigging it 
with the needle." 

Who were the leading men and women of Norwich 
after the second war with Great Britain? During the era 
of good feeling, and prior to the rise of the whig party. 
Calvin Goddard seems to have been the great man. He was 
mayor for seventeen years, until 183 1. You will recall that 
the charter of Norwich was unique in that a mayor must 
resign his office, die, or be removed by the general assembl}'. 
Mr. Goddard must have been a sound and thoughtful 
lawyer. His written opinions, as a judge, are commendable. 



MR. SHIPMAN S ADDRESS. II7 

Senator Foster selected his office to read law in. He was 
an enterprising manufacturer. He was one of Connecticut's 
delegates to the Hartford convention and a member of 
congress. Yet I confess it is hard to find much color in his 
personality. That is not true of Henry Strong, nor of 
Senator Huntington, nor is it true of other men prominent 
in later years, like William C. Oilman and William P. 
Greene. Henry Strong and Jabez W. Huntington were 
born in the same year, 1788, one the son of a beloved clergy- 
man of the town, the other the son of Zachariah Hunting- 
ton and grandson of General Jabez Huntington. They were 
intimate friends in boyhood, classmates together in college, 
and associated as lawyers. It is said that Henry Strong 
could have had any of the political honors which were 
showered upon his friends, but he preferred those of a 
professional life, and they came to him abundantly. His 
face looks down from the portrait in the courthouse here, 
and yet in spite of his local and perhaps temporary reputa- 
tion, I wonder if Governor Hubbard's well known descrip- 
tion of the work and memory of another lawyer pure and 
simple is not applicable to him : 

"The truth is," he said, "we are like the little insects 
that in the unseen depths of the ocean lay the coral founda- 
tions of uprising islands. In the end comes the solid land, 
the olive and the vine, the habitations of man, the arts and 
industries of life, the havens of the sea and ships riding at 
anchor. But the busy toilers which laid the beams of a 
continent in a dreary waste are entombed in their work and 
forgotten in their tombs." 

There is no necessity, even if time permitted, to speak 
of many others to whom Norwich is indebted, and of whom 
we are proud — Mrs. Sigourney and Mrs. Sarah Huntington 
for instance. To be sure, one can hardly find Mrs. Sigour- 
ney's name in a modern list of American writers, but when 
the}^ were written her memorial verses carried comfort to 
many afflicted hearts. The names of Senator Foster, 
Governor Buckingham and of Daniel Coit Oilman will 
undoubtedlv be mentioned in a later address. 



Il8 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Political Life of Norwich. 

The political life of Norwich, after 1820, seems to have 
been a steady control by the tolerationists until the sturdy 
youth of the whig party, about 1835. Then Norwich became 
a whig stronghold, until the free soilers came to the front. 

After all, the politics of the past play but a small part 
in our common and separate family traditions. It is of 
our own great grandparents, of our grandfathers and 
grandmothers, and of their children that we are thinking; 
of the tea parties of those days, the neighborly dropping in 
of evenings, the quiet talks on shaded porches, the strollings 
and whisperings of lovers under the elms ; of the boys steal- 
ing from pool to pool along the alder sheltered trout 
streams ; of their breathless climbs up the ridges along the 
line of the partridge's whirring flight; of friendly groups 
about the winter evening fireside, the leaping flames sink- 
ing into glowing ashes, and the lively talk broken by sympa- 
thetic silences ; of the short Saturday nights, and long 
Sundays, and the goodness of the white haired men and the 
sweetness, like the dropping rose petals in their gardens, of 
our gentle grandmothers. And later we come to the burden 
of the national problem — of slavery and its extension, the 
claims of the south, and finally the roar of the guns against 
Sumter and the spring to arms. 

Fifty years ago Norwich's jubilee was silent on what 
must have been an undercurrent in many minds. Some of 
you here present were there. We to whom the feeling of 
those days is lost in the flood of household traditions, in 
mingled stories of joy and sorrow, of sparkling wit — for 
jarring notes disappear with the years — we prefer the 
silence also. 

To us who have found home ties elsewhere, Norwich 
is the place of our dear ones, many of whom we never saw, 
but whose names and memories we love — for whom we 
name our children, and to whose kind and steadfast eyes 
as they look down upon us from their dulling frames, we 
submit our questionings. 



MR. SHIPMAX S ADDRESS. 1 19 

Forbears all, we greet you ! We make no promises for 
ourselves — we have fallen short of what you would have 
us to be. For the little we have done, for the more we have 
tried to do, we owe much to an honorable pride in you, our 
ancestors of Norwich. If we cannot promise for ourselves, 
we can undertake somewhat for our children. The tri-cen- 
tennial will see them returning as we have come to-day, and 
they will assert a larger and nobler influence than even we 
dare claim for their town and our town, Norwich. 

The audience received this address with much applause. 

After the singing of Dr. Isaac Watts's hymn, "O God, 
Our help in Ages Past," Mr. Williams said that while Judge 
Samuel O. Prentice of the supreme court of errors is not a 
son of Norwich, he came from so close to the nine miles 
square that we have adopted him and made no mistake in 
his adoption. He introduced him as the next speaker. 

Judge Prentice then delivered the concluding address, 
reviewing the History of Norwich in the Last Half Century, 
as follows : 

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 

It is my allotted task to take up the threads of the story 
of this ancient town at the point where the bicentennial 
celebration in 1859 dropped them. The half century which 
has passed since that time lies within the memory of not 
a few who are before me. Its most significant events are 
familiar to most of you. It would, therefore, interest you 
little, and profit you less, if I should attempt at this time to 
compile a record of them. I will leave that task to the local 
historian of the future who shall undertake to speak of the 
things of the past to a generation whose knowledge of them 
is drawn from a more distant retrospect. But history (and 
I must not forget that the part assigned me here is an 
historical one) concerns itself with something more than 
the bare record of events. These are but the result of the 
play and interplay of forces, human and superhuman. Even 
those events which are reasonabh- familiar assume a new 



120 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

interest when the human factors in them are brought under 
review, and the parts played by the chief actors in them and 
the personalities of those actors are recalled. 

It chances that the period concerning which I am asked 
to speak, save only a few of its earliest years, lies within the 
range of my personal recollection. True, some of that 
recollection is made up of the impressions of boyhood and 
youth. True, much of it is not drawn from a direct partici- 
pation in what has taken place, or from an intimate per- 
sonal contact with the more prominent figures concerned. 
But I am obliged to confess that I am old enough to be 
able to bring under review from memory the events of a 
large portion of the period in question, and to have received 
very distinct impressions of and concerning most of the men 
who have been the chief actors upon this local stage during 
that time. I shall, therefore, take the liberty of giving 
expression to some of these impressions, and of bringing 
into special prominence the personal side of the last half 
century's history here. 

The beginning of our period takes us back to times 
which stirred men's souls. The great national struggle over 
human slavery was near its height ; the people of the country 
were aligning themselves for the momentous political con- 
flict which the next year was to witness ; and events were 
fast rushing on to the dread climax of war. It is difficult, 
I imagine, for those of us who have lived in less strenuous 
times to faithfully picture to ourselves the conditions which 
were then existing. The conscience of the north had been 
profoundly moved by the spectacle of human bondage, and 
the efforts which were being made to extend the sphere of 
the influence of slavery. The issue which had been joined 
was in its sight less a political than a moral one, and men 
became inspired with that ardor and zeal and determination 
which a moral issue alone can arouse. This was peculiarly 
true of those of the old New England stock who had been 
bred and nurtured under the influences of a Puritanism 
which had not passed away, but still lingered among the 
homes of the fathers to be deeply stirred by its sense of 



JUDGE prentice's ADDRESS. 121 

wrong, and moved to action which knew no ceasing. Here 
in this town and in this eastern Connecticut the blood of the 
Puritan flowed in scarcely adulterated streams. The in- 
fluences which he created were still potently present in this 
typical New England community, and his strong, virile 
manhood, which was so responsive to his ideals of right and 
wrong, and made no compromise with them for peace and 
comfort's sake, was the representative type of this people in 
striking measure. 

The year 1854, to go no farther back, had witnessed the 
repeal of the Missouri compromise. In 1856 began the long 
and bitter struggle over bleeding Kansas and in May of 
that year Brooks made his attack upon Sumner. In 1857 
came the Dred Scott decision, and the fierce controversy 
between the forces of freedom and slavery over the Lecomp- 
ton constitution. In 1858 Lincoln and Douglass met in their 
memorable debate with all the country looking on. While 
the preparations for the bicentennial celebration here in 
1859 were in progress John Brown was busy with his for 
the invasion of the slave states, and in October his abortive 
attempt was made. 

One of the most striking and attractive personalities 
among the members of Brown's devoted band was born 
within the limits of ancient Norwich and lived here until 
his enlistment for the Mexican war, and his family were 
parishioners of the Uptown church at the time of his death. 
He was Aaron D. Stevens. He is pictured as a man of 
Herculean proportions — graceful and comely. He had 
played a leading part in the Kansas struggle, and there had 
come into intimate relations with Brown. He walked to the 
scafifold at Charlestown in March, i860, with as undaunted 
courage as he had on many another occasion faced death for 
the cause which lay nearest to his heart. 

These events and others coming, as they did, in rapid 
and overwhelming succession, had wrought the mind of the 
north and of this community into a fever heat. The call of 
the anti-slavery agitators to a redress of the wrongs of an 
oppressed people had reached the hearts of some. That to 



122 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Stay the aggressions of the slave power, and to save a vast 
expanse of virgin soil to freedom was earnestly heeded by 
others. The contest was on, and it was being waged with 
all the intensity and bitterness which a challenge of the 
righteousness of a great and long established social institu- 
tion can engender. These calls had been heard here and 
hereabouts, and the response had been no uncertain one. 
And there were not lacking effective local agencies to re- 
inforce the growing opinion, which had brought the recently 
formed republican party into being, and a local leadership 
to give it shape and effectiveness. The Morning Bulletin 
had been estabHshed in December, 1858. Isaac H. Bromley 
occupied its editorial chair. In that place of vantage be 
brought to the service of the cause of freedom all the 
enthusiasm of youth, and those rare abilities which later 
won for him golden laurels in the fields of metropolitan 
journalism. Senator Foster resided here. He had taken his 
seat in the United States senate in March, 1855, and re- 
mained a member of that body until 1867, and to become its 
president pro tempore, and after the death of Lincoln its 
presiding officer. He earnestly espoused the cause of the 
new party, and was influential in its councils. Gov. Buck- 
ingham resided here. He had been twice mayor and twice 
governor. The influence of his strong hand and personal 
popularity was of great service to the cause to which he 
attached himself heart and soul. Amos W. Prentice, whose 
contributions to the welfare of this town during a long and 
busy life were manifold and untiring, was mayor, and he 
Avas always to be found in the forefront of the advancing 
battle line. Here was Henry H. Starkweather, then a young 
man at the bar, with the promise of a bright future in his 
profession. His tastes soon afterward drew him aside into 
public service in which he remained until his death in 1876, 
while serving this district in his fifth term in congress. He 
attached himself to the fortunes of the new party with all 
the ardor of his nature, and was ceaseless in his labors in 
its behalf. Dr. John P. Gulliver occupied the pulpit of the 
Broadway church. He was a man of marvelous power in 



JUDGE PREXTICE S ADDRESS. 1 23 

the moulding of public opinion, and rare in his capacity for 
leadership. This town has seen few of his equals in that 
respect. He was the uncompromising foe of slavery and 
outspoken and persistent in his denunciation of its evils. 
There was gathered in his congregation an unusual group of 
public leaders. Through them, and through his own force- 
ful personality he reached out into this community in a 
way that made a deep impress upon it. But these men 
who held, or later came to hold, public or quasi-public 
places were not the only leaders in the movement of public 
opinion, or in effective propaganda and organization. The 
ranks of the professions and business furnished many 
others. The list includes such men as the brilliant Edmund 
Perkins, William P. Greene, Henry B. Norton, Moses 
Pierce, John Breed, David Smith, John F. Slater, Hugh H. 
Osgood, John T. Adams, Deacon Horace Colton and many 
others. These were all men of wide influence and they 
were as firm in their faith as unfaltering in their allegiance 
and as unsparing in their efforts as any others. 

At the April election in i860 Governor Buckingham 
was a candidate for re-election. Great importance was 
attached to the result by reason of its bearing upon the 
greater presidential contest soon to follow. The opposing 
candidate was the magnetic Thomas H. Seymour. The 
democracy had not then suffered the division which soon 
befell it. All of its members, whatever their differing shades 
of opinion, joined in the most energetic efforts to stay the 
progress of the principles which the republican party had 
espoused. The contest was desperately waged. The 
democratic leadership hereabouts was in no mean or inex- 
perienced hands. It included John T. Wait, James A. 
Hovey, James S. Carew, John W. Stedman, William L. 
Brewer, William M. Converse, Christopher C. Brand and 
others. Wait was by the war, which at Antietam cost him 
his only son, carried into republican leadership, and for 
ten years he was the representative of this district in 
congress, succeeding Starkweather. Hovey was a lawyer 
of high abilities who in 1876 became a judge of the superior 



124 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

court. Carew was mayor during the stirring years of i860 
and 1861. Stedman was the proprietor and editor of the 
"Aurora." The importance of the contest attracted the 
interest of Lincoln, and immediately following his great 
triumph in Cooper Union he visited Connecticut and came 
to Norwich, where in the old Town hall he re-echoed the 
keynote of his New York address, and repeated his appeal 
for a faith that right makes might, and for a courage in the 
people to dare to the end to do their duty as they under- 
stood it. Amos W. Prentice presided at the meeting, and, 
carried away by the power of the Illinoisan's ringing words, 
he exclaimed : "Here is the man who should occupy the 
house on Pennsylvania Avenue." Thus in one breath did he 
disclose his power of discrimination if not divination. Buck- 
ingham was elected, but by the slender margin of 538 votes. 

The nomination, election and inauguration of Lincoln, 
the secession of states and the firing upon Fort Sumter 
followed in quick succession, and the Civil War with all its 
dire consequences was upon the country. The announce- 
ment of the fall of Sumter, which came on Sunday, April 
14th, made it a day long to be remembered. Pulpits rang 
with calls to patriotic duty, and the people on every side 
were stirred, as only earnest men and women can be, by the 
situation which threatened such portentous consequences. 
There had been no call to arms ; but war was in the air, and 
the country's inevitable need was in the thoughts of every 
one. 

The call came the following day, and preparations for 
a prompt response were at once set in motion. Former 
political differences were forgotten, and men of the faith 
and stamp of Wait, Hovey, Carew and Stedman vied with 
the most ardent haters of slavery in their patriotic zeal. 
The popular response in the enlisting quarters was such 
that the question of the hour was not so much one of men 
to fill the three companies proposed to be organized, as 
it was how to uniform, equip and supply them for service. 
On Thursday, the i8th, a war meeting (the first) was held 
in Apollo hall, with Starkweather in the chair, and prepara- 



JUDGE PRENTICE S ADDRESS. 1 25 

tions were then made for raising the necessary funds. The 
subscription Hst then started is a striking and eloquent 
document. Buckingham's name heads the list of 210 sub- 
scribers, and the total subscribed was $21,395. On Saturday 
a grand mass meeting was held, Mayor Carew presiding. 
At this meeting the popular enthusiasm was aroused to the 
highest pitch by the appeals of Foster, Wait, Pratt, Hovey, 
Adams, Halsey, Starkweather, Perkins, the venerable 
Doctor Bond and a half dozen others. 

But neither money nor enthusiasm was uniforms, cloth- 
ing and supplies. There was an emergency which men, 
however eager and willing, could not meet. The women of 
Norwich, as patriotic as their husbands and brothers, 
Hocked to the rescue. The city became suddenly, and as if 
by magic, transformed into one great sewing circle with 
Breed hall as its center. On the Sunday next after the 
president's call 350 women plied their busy fingers in that 
hall all day. As a result the first company was on the 
following day ready to depart, and under the command of 
Capt. Frank S. Chester, arm in arm with Buckingham, it 
marched to the station, while the crowded streets showered 
upon its members the plaudits and benedictions of a people 
Avrought up to the highest pitch of patriotic enthusiasm. 
The second company under Capt. Henry Peale left on the 
24th, and the third under Capt. Edward Harland on the 29th 
— both under similar conditions. It was the fortune of all 
these companies to become attached to the brigade which 
opened the battle of Bull Run, and in good order covered 
the retreat from that ill-starred field. 

In this connection it ought to be noted that out of 
these united efforts of the women there grew up that most 
efficient and far-reaching organization, whose invaluable 
services terminated only with the war — "The Soldiers' Aid 
Society," at the head of which was Miss Elizabeth Greene, 
and in which Miss Carrie L. Thomas and Miss Eliza P. 
Perkins played leading parts. 

It would be interesting to follow in detail the history 
of the four eventful years which followed. But my time will 



126 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

not permit me to even summarize the story which Doctor 
Dana in his labor of love — "The Norwich Memorial" — has 
put in abiding form and so worthily told. When dark hours 
came, as they not infrequently did, and discouragements 
beset the cause around which the hopes of anxious loyal 
hearts were centered, faith did not falter here, nor courage 
abate. The inspiration of indomitable leaders was steadily 
present. As call after call for men came in staggering suc- 
cession, and the material with which to respond grew less 
and less, the devotion of the people kept rising to higher 
heights of sacrifice, and their grim determination to more 
heroic efiforts. The public purse was unstintingly drawn 
upon, and private endeavor redoubled, so that in the end 
approximately $165,000 was spent from the public treasury 
in order that the response to the country's call might be 
prompt and adequate, and the allotted quota of the town 
was always full, and often more than full. In all, the 
number who enlisted from here was practically one-tenth 
of the whole population. The best blood of it was included. 
Of those who went out many never returned, and incom- 
parable sadness came into many homes, high and low. But 
the major part did return to receive a welcome long to be 
remembered and to take up their parts again in the life of 
this community. The roll of the men who came to distinc- 
tion in the service is too long for repetition here. I can only 
pause to enumerate those few who came to the highest 
station upon their country's records. Joseph Lanman was 
a commodore after 1862, and later became an admiral. 
Daniel Tyler, Edward Harland and Henry W. Birge rose 
to be brigadier generals, and William G. Ely, John E. Ward, 
Alfred P. Rockwell, Hiram M. Crosby and Henry Case to 
be colonels. 

On the day following the evacuation of Richmond, 
Buckingham was chosen governor for the eighth and last 
time. It remained for him as was fitting, to welcome home 
the returning veterans of the war in whose hearts he held 
so warm a place, and to close the doors of the temple of 
Janus, which had so long stood open. In 1869 he was sent 



JUDGE prentice's ADDRESS. 12/ 

to the United States senate. His great work, however, was 
done as Connecticut's war governor, and it is upon his 
record made in those years of exacting service that his claim 
to an enduring pubhc remembrance must chiefly rest. The 
burden which fell upon him in that crisis of our country's 
history was a heavy one. But under it all, and through all 
the perplexities and trials and discouragements which fell to 
his lot, he bore himself with such dignity and poise, such 
lofty and unselfish patriotism, such sympathy and unswerv- 
ing devotion, such intelligence and foresight that he won for 
himself a place beside Andrev^^ and VVashburne and ^lorton 
in the select circle of the great Civil War governors. As 
Washington learned to lean upon and trust Connecticut's 
Governor Trumbull, so Lincoln found in Buckingham a 
state executive whose fidelity and support was unfaltering 
and sincere. It is a striking coincidence of this situation 
that both Trumbull and Buckingham were born in the 
neighboring country town of Lebanon. 

Norwich has doubtless numbered among her citizens 
men of intellectual endowments superior to those of Buck- 
ingham. But no one who has Hved or gone out from here 
has, I feel assured, so surely written his name in honor into 
the pages of history as he. And it was not the result of 
chance or accident. Great qualities were in him, and they 
expressed themselves upon the epoch making events among 
which he moved. His striking face and courtly figure as 
he appeared upon public occasions wearing on his silk hat 
the cockade, which was the insignia of his office, made a 
deep impression upon my youthful mind. As I now look 
upon his figure in heroic bronze seated among the battle- 
flags in the capitol in Hartford I can understand the reason 
why, and I find it easy to discover in that strong yet benig- 
nant face the secret of his devoted life and of his efficient 
service in a great emergency. 

In the fall of 1866 I came from my nearby 
home to enter the Academy. Then I met for the 
first time that masterful teacher. Professor William 
Hutchison, and came within the circle of his remarkable 



128 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

influence. He had the year before come to the Academy, 
which under the principalship of Elbridge Smith had already 
been placed upon a firm foundation. He remained until 
his untimely death in 1885 to continue his invaluable work 
for this community in the training and inspiration of its 
young men and women. He was not long in making his 
influence felt, and soon the school acquired a recognized 
reputation as one of the best in the land, and as one without 
a superior as a place for college preparation. What the 
secret of his power was I do not pretend to have discovered. 
Something of it was doubtless due to the genuineness, 
directness and wholesomeness of his nature. There was no 
sham or pretense about him. He was human and sympa- 
thetic. He was sane in his views of things. He was 
catholic in his spirit. He understood the young, and how 
to reach them. He set up no impossible standards. He 
marked out no narrow ways. His influence was not exerted 
through a system of "thou shalt nots," but through an 
inspiration to the best things which radiated from him on 
every hand. He looked to the instillation of ideals and the 
creation of worthy aspirations and ambitions, and not to 
commandments for the assurance of an honorable life. It 
was a sad day to many when the news went forth that the 
beloved teacher had closed his labors, and Norwich rightly 
felt that one of her noblest had gone from her. Professor 
Hutchison was as quiet in his ways, as simple in his habits 
and as modest in his demeanor as he was strong. He 
sought neither publicity nor fame. The limelight had no 
attraction for him. He was content to do his duty as a 
moulder of youth, a citizen of this town and a Christian. 
He did it well, and the verdict of all Avho knew him or his 
service must be that few men have contributed more to 
the true welfare of this community and its people than 
did he. 

These allusions to the Academy invite our attention to 
the growth and development of that institution. Fifty 
years ago its instructors numbered five and its pupils less 
than a hundred, and the courses offered were limited to two 



JUDGE PRENTICE S ADDRESS. 1 29 

— a classical and an English. The latest catalogue shows 
444 students in attendance, and a teaching force of 25, and 
its courses have been greatly extended and diversified. In 
1859 a single building amply supplied all its needs. Today 
its teaching facilities overtax the capacity of four. Its 
beautiful Slater Memorial, dedicated in 1885, "^^as built, en- 
dowed and its valuable museum supplied by the munificence 
of William A. Slater, one of its graduates. Its Manual 
Training building, completed in 1895, was the gift of its 
alumni. The latest addition to the group was made in 1907, 
when a legacy contained in the will of the late Colonel 
Charles A. Converse supplied the means for the erection of 
the Converse Art Gallery. The fifty persons who in 1855 
combined to contribute the original fund for the establish- 
ment of this institution were as far-sighted as they were 
public spirited. But whatever prophetic vision they or those 
others who in the early years came to its help may have 
had of the future of the Academy, and whatever dreams 
may have been theirs as to the service it would in 
years to come render to this community, it is safe to sa}^ 
that not one of them had pictured to himself in all its full- 
ness what has already come to pass. Here, year by year, a 
very large proportion of the sons and daughters of Norwich, 
drawn from every walk in life, together with many from 
the surrounding country, have come under the influence of 
exceptional educational advantages, been thus led into a 
broader and better vision of life and its possibilities, and 
been prepared for a worthy citizenship. The consequence 
has been, has it not, that the Academy has come to touch 
the heart and life of this people more closely than any other 
institution here. Ample evidence of this is found in the 
large number who have become its benefactors, and the 
large total of their benefactions, which approximates three- 
quarters of a million of dollars. This is a generous ollcring 
to a single cause by a community no larger than this. The 
harvest has already been a bountiful one, and the end is 
not yet. 



130 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

It was during the years of my attendance at the Acad- 
emy, and the half dozen immediately following, that I re- 
ceived very distinct impressions of the men who were 
prominent in the financial and business circles of this town. 
I still retain vivid recollections of such men as the Nortons, 
the Buckinghams, the Johnsons, the Osgoods, the Greenes, 
the Hubbards, John F. Slater, Lorenzo Blackstone, J. M. 
Huntington, David Smith, Moses Pierce, James S. Carew, 
Amos W. Prentice, E. Winslow Williams, John Mitchell 
and Edward Chappell. It seemed to me in those days that 
these men were of the very stufif of which, to borrow a 
modern term, captains of finance and business are made. 
I now appreciate that I ma}^ have painted them in too glow- 
ing colors. But I am still convinced that I did not misjudge 
them in this, that in their character, their dignity, their 
self-respecting ideals and their sense of their private and 
public responsibilities they represented in a pre-eminent 
way that class which makes business honorable, and its re- 
wards a public blessing. 

During these years Norwich was fortunate in the qual- 
ity and power of its clergy. The venerable Doctor Arms 
was the pastor of the First church, as he had been since 
1836. In 1864 Doctor Bond, after nearly thirty years of 
service at the Second, had sought a well earned retirement, 
and had been succeeded by the Rev. M. M. G. Dana, who in 
1874 joined in the organization of the Park church. In 1865 
Doctor Gulliver had left the Broadway, and in 1868 he was 
succeeded by the Rev. Daniel Merriman, a preacher of un- 
usual power. Doctor Samuel Graves was at the Central 
Baptist; the Revs. David F. Banks and John Binney were 
in succession at Christ; and Father Daniel Mullin was 
exerting a far-reaching influence for good at St. Mary's. 

If we turn to the bar, we discover in Norwich during 
the period we have thus far been considering a striking 
group of lawyers. It included Senator Foster, who after 
his retirement from the senate was summoned to service 
upon the supreme court of the state; James A. Hovey, 
John T. Wait, Edmund Perkins, George Pratt and Jeremiah 



JUDGE PRENTICE S ADDRESS. I3I 

llalsey. These men were of distinctly different types, and 
their strength lay in different directions, but they were all 
forceful factors in their profession, and in the life of this 
communit3\ In this connection mention should be made of 
John D. Park. In 1855 he was, at an early age, chosen to 
a judgeship of the superior court, and in 1864 he became a 
member of the supreme court. In 1870 he was made chief 
justice, which ofifice he continued to hold until his retire- 
ment age was reached in 1889. Thus withdrawn from the 
activities of his profession during the best years of his life, 
he was naturally less identified with local affairs than those 
already named. It should also be remembered that in 1862 
there enlisted from this town a young man of 22, who as a 
boy of 9 had been brought here from his Scottish birthplace 
b\- his widowed mother, who grew up to manhood here, 
and who lived to become that honored and able and beloved 
man, the late Chief Justice Torrance. Following his return 
from the service he settled elsewhere, and his professional 
and public successes were there achieved, but the founda- 
tions of them were here firmly laid under conditions of self- 
denial and struggle. 

I feel that I should fail in my duty upon this occasion 
if I dismissed this group of men without a fuller recognition 
of the character and career of one of them. Jeremiah Halsey 
was a born lawyer. Nature endowed him with her choicest 
gifts of intellect and character, and he assiduously devoted 
his many years of life to the service of his profession. No 
one would have acknowledged more cheerfully his primacy 
at this bar than the ablest among his contemporaries. He 
was the ideal product of the rural life which bred him, and 
of the life here which contributed to fashion him. In my 
youth I was taught to think that all the noblest qualities of 
manhood, and the highest legal erudition were met in him. 
The personal observations of my later years have not caused 
me to essentially modify this early impression. And the 
verdict of those of his contemporaries, the state over, wdio 
were best qualified to judge, was to the same general effect. 
^^'as ever a man more simple in his life and manner, more 



132 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

pure and sweet in his living, more gentle and sympathetic 
in his spirit, more unselfish and helpful in his conduct? He 
went in and out among this people as humbly as the hum- 
blest of them. And yet he must have known that he pos- 
sessed a power within himself and wielded an influence 
over others which was rare indeed. The secrets of that 
power and influence are not hard to discover. His vision 
was clear and profound. He knew how to analyze correctly, 
to discriminate justly and to reason soundly and honestly. 
He was not an orator in the ordinary sense of that term. 
But his power of simple, direct expression, his ability to 
arrange and array facts and propositions and his luminous- 
ness of statement were such as to make him a master in 
the presence of either court or jury. To these gifts he 
added the superlative one of character. He carried the high 
ideals of his private life into his professional labors. His 
conscience accepted no retainers. It was simply impossible 
for him to dissemble, deceive, or be unfair and unfrank. 
Casuistry he knew not. Artful practices and tricks, all too 
common, he scorned. This everybody knew — could not helij 
knowing. The result was that he came to exercise an 
influence in this region, and to occupy a position at the bar 
of this state which few indeed could claim to share with 
him. 

No enumeration of the men in whose achievements 
Norwich has taken a just pride would be complete which 
did not include those of her sons by birth or adoption, who 
have won for themselves during the half century just closed 
high place in the field of letters or as educators, journalists 
or publicists. Upon this roll of honor belong the names of 
Donald G. Mitchell and President Daniel Coit Gilman, both 
born here; Edmund Clarence Stedman, who passed most of 
his younger years here, and began his life w^ork as the editor 
of the Norwich Tribune ; President William J. Tucker of 
Dartmouth, born in Griswold, but soon coming with his 
father to Norwich ; Isaac H. Bromley, already referred to, 
and David A. A\>lls, who passed the later ^-ears of his life 
among you. 



JUDGE PREXTICE S ADDRESS. 1 33 

A\'e have thus far only incidentally touched upon the 
events of the last twenty-five or thirty years. As I am 
bound not to forget the role in which I appear, I do not 
feel at liberty to pass them by wholly unnoticed. But they 
belong so nearly to the things of today, and so many of the 
chief actors in them are of the living present, that I feel 
constrained to refrain from further comments upon men, 
and to confine the little which 1 feel obliged not to omit 
to a barren recital of those happenings which possess that 
public importance and interest which entitle them to a place 
in a record of the time, however fragmentary. 

The limits of the city have been extended four times, 
and those of the town once. In 1874 the Greeneville sec- 
tion was added to the city, as w^ere Laurel Hill and Boswell- 
ville in 1875. In 1901 the western portion of the town of 
Preston was taken into both the town and city, and in 1907 
that portion of Mohegan park which lay without the city 
limits was included in them. In 1870 the completion of the 
city's fine water supply system, work upon which had been 
begun in 1867, was fittingly celebrated, and on July 4 Presi- 
dent Grant honored the city with a visit, and received the 
enthusiastic welcome of its people. The same year the first 
street railway line was built. It extended from Greeneville 
to Bean Hill. It was electrified in 1892, and since that time 
radiating lines have been constructed furnishing direct and 
convenient communication with a large portion of eastern 
Connecticut. In 1904 the city became the owner of its 
lighting plant. The year 1873 saw the occupation of the 
combined court, town and city building, which during the 
last year or two has been undergoing the process of enlarge- 
ment to meet the increasing demands upon it. The spring 
of this same j'-ear also witnessed the erection at the head of 
tlie Great Plain of the monument to the memory of the 
soldiers and sailors of the Civil war. This theater was 
opened in 1890. The following year the Otis library was 
nvade free, and in 1892 enlarged, and thus the way prepared 
for the invaluable work it is now doing. The year 1893 was 
made memorable bv the completion of the William W. 



134 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Backus hospital, for whose beautiful location, admirable 
plant and ample endowment Norwich owes an inestimable 
debt of gratitude to Mr. Backus and to that most generous 
of her sons, William A. Slater. In 1894 the Masonic temple 
was dedicated, and in 1905 the new post office was opened. 

An untoward event of the last few months impels me 
to depart from my resolve to remain silent concerning those 
who have been participants in the activities and life of this 
people during the more recent years. I knew Frank T. 
Brown at the Academy and at Yale. It was my privilege 
to continue my acquaintance with him, and to observe his 
career during the years which have since passed. I saw his 
steady progress in his profession, and in the confidence of 
all who knew him until the time had come when he could, 
without presumption, claim to be the peer of the select few 
best lawyers of the state, when his professional brethren 
cheerfully recognized his right to that high position, and 
when the rewards of such a reputation were coming to 
him. His foot was already upon the topmost round of the 
ladder, and he had justified his right by virtue of both ability 
and character, to assume the succession to Strong and 
Halsey and continue that notable line, when the end came. 
The loss to a community like this of a man of such abilities, 
such force, such character, such courage for the right and 
such public spirit is one which it is hard to measure. Who 
is there that, taking heed of his example and of that of those 
whom he followed, shall prove himself worthy to follow 
him? 

The year 1859 saw this town a group of approximately 
14,000 persons. They were, as I have already had occasion 
to notice, largely of the old New England stock, and retained 
to a striking degree the strong and sturdy characteristics of 
their inheritance. Their homes were scattered over a terri- 
tory which Providence had lavishly endowed with its gifts 
of natural beauty. Towering hill looked out upon towering 
hill, and down upon fertile valleys and gentle rivers. Wood- 
land and rock and meadow in striking contrast added diver- 
sity to the scene. Many of these homes were of historic 



JUDGE PRENTICE S ADDRESS. 1 35 

interest, and carried one's thoughts back to the early days. 
The principal thoroughfares were lined in profusion with 
attractive houses set in generous spaces which bespoke the 
taste, the prosperity and the comfort which characterized 
the life within. The symbols of prosperity, content and 
happiness were disclosed on every hand. It was easy to 
discover the dominating presence of the typical New 
England character and thrift. The homes of the lowly as 
well as those of the comparatively rich told the same story. 
For miles about lay a thriving farming community which 
looked to Norwich as its business, social and political center. 
Its members were of the same New England stock and type. 
From this source Norwich was drawing, and had long 
drawn, not only the material advantages of trade, but also, 
what was of infinitely more value, a constant reinforcement 
of the best sort of its business, professional and social 
forces. 

Fifty years have passed. They have been eventful ones, 
and have witnessed great changes in the business, industrial 
and social life of this country. Material prosperity has 
abounded ; the spheres of business activity have wonder- 
fully broadened ; industrial growth and expansion has been 
marvelous, and populations have multiplied and centralized 
as never before in our history. Many centers of population 
have increased in numbers and been transformed in charac- 
ter so as to be scarcely recognizable. Riches have been 
amazingly multiplied, and have fallen to the lot of very 
many who had not been trained to their use. Extravagance 
and display have set their alluring examples in many quar- 
ters, making simple and unostentatious living harder and 
less common than it used to be. New standards of various 
sorts have come to supplant the old, and former ideals have 
given place to others. The changes which have taken place, 
however, have been by no means uniform. Cities have 
prospered and increased, where country has not to the same 
extent, or not at all. Some cities have thriven and grown 
almost in spite of themselves, where others have had to plod 
their way to larger things. Some communities have found 



136 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

wealth dropping into their laps with the minimum of effort, 
while others have been obliged to win their achievements 
by persistent endeavor. Nature's bounty has not been the 
same to all sections ; the advantages of location have not 
been uniform ; and the facilities of transportation, which 
have played a large part in industrial and business history, 
have not been shared in equal measure. Norwich has not 
found itself the beneficiary of some great natural deposit 
of coal, iron ore, oil, gas, copper or gold to contribute to 
the expansion of its industries, the increase of its popula- 
tion and its accumulation of wealth. It has not found itself 
the center of some great industrial development. It has not 
been favored by exceptional transportation facilities. The 
great lines of railway passed it by on either hand. It has 
thus been left without those aids to growth which certain 
other places have in greater or less degree enjoyed, and it 
has been compelled to rely for the most part upon the re- 
sources and energy of its people for what it has attained. 
The situation, however, has not been without its compensa- 
tions. Success won by effort is blessed in the winning. It 
is blessed in the character it develops, and in the type of 
manhood it creates. And there has been success. Of this 
there are evidences on every hand, and the fact that the 
population has practically doubled within the last fifty 
years amply attests it. But the conditions have not been 
such as to invite a heterogeneous population of all sorts and 
kinds to the extent and of the character found in some other 
localities. Sudden wealth has not come to many, and to 
many unfit to use it. The new rich do not infest its streets 
and knock at the door of its society. What has come has 
been earned, and in the earning the stability, the solidity 
and the strength of the old days has not been dissipated. 
The dignity of the simple life in its best sense has not been 
lost sight of ; nor the standards and ideals of the former 
days forgotten. There has been retained a closer touch 
with the country than is common with cities. The ranks of 
its trade and its professions have been recruited very largely 
from the surrounding farms and villages, and that influence 



JUDGE PRENTICE S ADDRESS. 1 37 

has been a constantly powerful and wholesome one. The 
best blood of the country round about, and the most of it 
the blood of a New England ancestry, has flowed to this 
center to invigorate its life. As a result of all these influ- 
ences and conditions Norwich, it seems to me, is today 
more truly representative of the old New England spirit, 
and better typifies the life and thought and sterling charac- 
ter of the fathers than any other large and growing center 
of population of my acquaintance. 

She now enters upon another half century of her his- 
tory. What the future will bring forth we know not. But 
I can conceive of no nobler ambition for her sons — no wor- 
thier standard for them to set up — than that they remain 
true to the ideals of the past which are their inheritance, 
and that they continue untarnished the record of high 
minded endeavor which has marked her history hitherto. 



The interesting allusions of Judge Prentice to events 
and persons within the remembrance of many of his hearers 
were listened to with deep interest. 

A hymn, 

''Like boulders, down an alien land, 
Our fathers moved before Thy Hand ; 
And on the foothills of the free 
They rise memorial to Thee," 

composed for the occasion b}^ Margaret W. Fuller, with 
original music by Frederick W. Lester, was then sung by 
the choir, and received warm applause from the audience. 

The words and music are printed in full on following 
pages. 



ANNIVERSARY HYMN 



Margaret W. Fuller 



Frederick W. Lester 






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1. Like boulders down an al - ien land Our fathers moved before Thy hand; and 












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Moulder of men! their faith was plain — Thou brough test them: Didst Thou sustain ?Their 






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Poem copyright, 1909, by Margaret W. Fuller 






ANNIVERSARY HYMN 

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140 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Edmund Clarence Stedman's poem, The Inland City, 
was then read by the Rev. Dr. Pratt, and verses written by 
the Rev. Anson G. Chester for the celebration were read 
by Henry A. Tirrell. 

The exercises at the theater closed with the singing 
of *'My Country, 'tis of Thee" by the choir and audience, 
accompanied by the band. 

An organ recital in Broadway church by R. Huntington 
Woodman, formerly of Norwich, followed the literary exer- 
cises, and in the afternoon and evening concerts were given 
by Tubbs' military band on the reviewing stand and at 
Union square. 

After several attempts that were not entirely success- 
ful in consequence of high winds, Capt. Baldwin made an 
ascension in his airship at about six o'clock on Tuesday 
afternoon, and, after rising to a height of perhaps a thousand 
feet above the fair grounds, circled about for ten minutes 
to the gratification of an admiring crowd. 

In the evening a fiotilla of thirty or forty power boats, 
canoes and other craft, beautifully decorated with Japanese 
lanterns, paraded on the Thames river, which was enlivened 
by music from Tubbs' band on the steamboat Sightseer. 

This ended the third and last day of the celebration. 



Invitations and Badges. 

The invitation committee issued a beautifully engraved 
invitation, embellished with a view of Norwich as it ap- 
peared in 1859 from a point on the Thames river, and with 
devices embossed in colors representing the flag of the city 
and the Rose of New England. The invitation was in these 
words : 

Norwich 

Welcomes home her children. 

On July fifth and sixth, nineteen hundred and nine 

Norwich, Connecticut, will celebrate the 

Two Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary 

of the Founding of the Town, 

and the One Hundred and Twenty-Fifth 

of the Incorporation of the City. 



INVITATION AND BADGES. I4I 

It is earnestly desired that all who by ties of birth, 
ancestry or former residence are connected with our town 
shall unite in this celebration. Now in behalf of the Citizens 
of Norwich we extend a cordial invitation to you and yours 
to come home and join us in making the event one that shall 
long be remembered in the history of the Old Town of 
Norwich. 

The Invitation Committee, 

William H. Shields, Chairman. 

The committee also provided an elaborate silk badge, 
nine inches long and two inches wide, woven in red, white, 
blue and gold colors, decorated with United States flags and 
a full-blown rose, and suspended from a gold bar. The 
badge, which of course cannot be reproduced here, bore 
these words woven in silk : 

Norwich 

Connecticut 

"The Rose of New England" 

250th 

Anniversary 

Founding of the Town 

125th Anniversary 

Incorporation of the City 

Celebration 

July 5th & 6th, 1909. 

Good Old Norwich ! How I love thee — 

Love thy strong and massive hills ; 
Love the rushing of thy rivers 

And the babbling of thy rills ; 
Love thy rocks that rise like bastions. 

And the vales that stretch below ; 
Love thy summers with their sunshine 

And thy winters with their snow ; 



142 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Love thy cedars, such as furnished 

Unto Lebanon its fame; 
Love the glories of thy landscapes, 

And the glory of thy name ; 
As a mother loves her darlings, 

As a sailor loves the sea, 
As a woman loves her idols. 

So, dear Norwich, love I thee. 

Anson G. Chester, 1859. 

Besides this were smaller silk badges with medallions 
for the members of the various committees. 

Loan Exhibition. 

During the celebration Faith Trumbull Chapter, D. A. 
R., maintained in the Converse Art Gallery a large and in- 
teresting exhibition of antique furniture, porcelain, silver, 
pictures, and other objects of historic value which attracted 
much attention. The catalogue, in part, will appear in the 
appendix. 

Greetings from Old Norwich. 

The following cablegram was received on the second 
day of the celebration : 

Norwich, England, July 5, 1909. 
Gilbert S. Raymond, 

Secretary of Anniversary Celebration Committee, 
Norwich, Conn., U. S. A. 

City of Norwich sends hearty congratulations to 
American daughter on her attaining 250 years. 

(Signed) Walter Rye, Mayor. 

To this friendly greeting a suitable reply was returned 
by the Secretary. 



FINANCIAL STATEMENT. I43 

Statement of Receipts and Disbursements of Charles W. 
Gale, Treasurer Norwich Celebration. 

Receipts : 

Town of Norwich $ 5,000.00 

City of Norwich 1,000.00 

Sale of Seats on Reviewing- Stand 508.00 

Sale of Invitations and Magazines 200.00 

Sale of Badges 590.60 

Returned by D. A. R 22.31 

Returned by Amusement Committee 144.06 

General Subscriptions 8,510.50 

$15,97547 



Disbursements : 

Executive Committee $ 5,079.18 

Invitation Committee 400.81 

Committee on Literary Exercises 22.85 

Finance Committee 444-40 

Amusement Committee 2,088.15 

Music Committee 1,584.58 

Fireworks Committee 1,403.82 

Publicity Committee 561.32 

Decoration Committee 2,146.48 

Hospitality Committee 1,178.88 

Ways and Means Committee 43-65 

Band Stand Committee ^7-7'^ 

Reviewing Stand Committee 500.00 

Balance turned over to The Centennial Publish- 
ing Co 433-65 

$15.97547 



CONCLUSION. 

The people of Norwich, looking back after the lapse of 
more than two years, may well congratulate themselves in 
sober second thought that their celebration was a complete 
success. Favored by the weather, and by the presence of 
distinguished guests, and by a great concourse of visiting 
friends and strangers, there was no disorder and no accident 
to mar the pleasure of the occasion. While varied enter- 
tainments were provided for all sorts and conditions of men, 
and while the celebration was universally observed as a 
joyous festival, its dignified character raised it far above 
the level of a carnival or a boisterous holiday. 

It was an occasion of general happiness, of pious re- 
membrance of the brave men and women who came to make 
a hazard of new fortunes in this unknown land two hundred 
and fifty years ago, to establish here homes and schools and 
churches, to plant fields and orchards, to build roads and 
bridges, and to lay foundations broad and deep whereon 
succeeding generations have continued to build. It was an 
occasion of devout thanksgiving that to those who are here 
living upon the earth the lines have fallen in pleasant places, 
and that theirs is a goodly heritage ; an occasion of high 
resolve that here shall be maintained the best traditions of 
the Fathers. 

When the Fathers came hither the wilderness and the 
solitary places were glad for them, and the wild Rose of 
New England, which they found in its native soil and sus- 
tained with their fostering care, continues to grow and 
blossom in perennial beauty. And so, contemplating the 
past with serene satisfaction, those who now occupy the 
stage may say, "God speed the coming generations," su- 
premely confident that, under Divine protection, Norwich 
will be happier and brighter and better in the next half 
century because it is their dwelling place. 

THE END. 



APPENDIX. 

Official Program 

of the 

250th Anniversary of the Founding of the Town 

and the 

125th Anniversary of the Incorporation 

of the City 

July 4, 5, and 6, igog. 

Sunday, July 4, igog. 

Historical sermons will be delivered in the churches at 
their usual hour of service. 

The graves in the old town burying ground at Xorwich 
Town and the Mason monument will be decorated. 

In the afternoon at 4 o'clock there will be a memorial 
service in the old burying ground at Norwich Town, as 
follows: 

Welcome in the Name of the Founders, Dr. F. P. 
Gulliver. 

Invocation — Rev. George H. Ewing of the First Con- 
gregational church. 

Address — Rev. Lewellyn Pratt, D.D. 

Address — Rev. Charles A. Northrop. 

Frederick W. Lester and a choir of selected voices will 
lead in the singing of several old hymns. 

At 5 o'clock an organ recital will be given in the old 
First church by FI. L. Yerrington, assisted by G. Avery 
Ray, tenor. 

Monday, July 5, igog. 

At sunrise, 4.31 a. m., all the bells in the city will ring 
for half an hour. 

At 9 a. m. — The first ascension of the airship, "The 
California Arrow," owned and operated by Capt. Thomas 
Scott Baldwin, will take place, at the New London County 



146 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Fair Grounds. The flight will be made over the entire city 
so that all may have a good view. This will be the first 
ascension of an airship in the state. At the same time and 
place the athletic events will be held. 

Upon the entry of the President into the city, at about 
9.45 a. m., the Presidential salute of twenty-one guns will 
be fired by a battery on Geer's hill. 

At 10 a. m. — In the lot back of the Norwich Club 
House, entrance through the Joseph Perkins road or at 
the upper end of McKinley avenue, there will be presented 
a series of Historical Reproductions consisting of scenes of 
the early Indian life, the signing of the deed by Uncas and 
the Founders, the visit of Washington during the Revolu- 
tionary War, the return of the soldiers from the Civil War ; 
the present to be represented by Coast Artillery and the 
future personified by 500 school children. The Putnam 
Phalanx will also give a parade drill. 

At 12 o'clock a reception will be tendered the President, 
the distinguished guests and the officials of the celebration 
by Hon. Winslow Tracy Williams at Rockclyffe. 

At I p. m. — The grand parade will form as follows, 
starting promptly at 2 p. m. : 

First Division — Midshipmen and Regulars, on Broad- 
way, right resting on Main street; Coast Artillery Corps, 
Governor's Foot Guards, Putnam Phalanx and G. A, R., 
on Shetucket street, right resting on Main street. 

Second Division — Commerce street, right resting on 
Market street. 

Third Division — Church street, right resting on Wash- 
ington square. 

Fourth Division — Little Water street, right resting on 
Shetucket street. 

Fifth and Sixth Divisions — Floats — North Main street, 
right resting on East Main street. 

The line of march will be from Broadway to East Main 
and countermarch up Broadway to Harland road. First 
Division countermarch to Williams avenue; Second Divi- 
sion to Williams street; Third Division to Lincoln avenue; 



OFFICIAL PROGRAM. I47 

Fourth Division to Sachem street; Fifth and Sixth Divisions 
continue to march to and around the Norwich Town Green. 
Divisions will form en masse on above streets and after- 
wards continue march down Washington and Main streets 
and then be dismissed. 

The Divisions will be composed as follows : 

Platoon of Police. 

Chief Marshal Col. C. W. Gale and Staff. 

First Division. 

Lieut. Col. Henry S. Dorsey and Staff. 

Tubbs's Military Band. 

Battalion of 600 Midshipmen from Annapolis. 

Eleventh Band, U. S. C. A. C. 

Battalion of Four Companies U. S. Regular Army. 

President of the United States, William H. Taft. 

Hatch's First Infantry Band, C. N. G. 

Battalion Six Companies C. A. Corps. 

Foot Guard Band. 

Second Company, Governor's Foot Guard. 

Foot Guard Band. 

First Company, Governor's Foot Guard. 

Governor Weeks and Staff. 

Representatives of Town and City. 

Putnam Phalanx. 

Sedgwick Post, G. A. R. 

Second Division. 

Maj. William A. Wells and Staff. 

Newark Letter Carriers' Band. 

Postmaster and Government Employees. 

Mohegan Indians. 

Modern Woodmen of America. 

O. B. A. Society, No. 62. 

I. O. B. A. Society, No. 309. 

Joseph Garibaldi Society. 



148 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Putnam City Band. 

United German Societies. 

Italian Benevolent Society. 

St. Jean Baptiste Society. 

Worcester Cadet Band. 

Swedish Societies. 

Yantic Fire Engine Co. 

1859— 1909. 

Third Division, 

Col. John P. Murphy and Staff. 

Red Men. 

Wheelers Willimantic Band. 

Second Division, A. O, H. 

Irish Jaunting Car. 

St. Mary's Fife and Drum Corps, New Britain. 

A. O. H. Knights, New Britain. 

First Division, A. O. H. 

Knights of Columbus. 

Westerly Band. 

St. Mary's T. A. and B. Society. 

Temperance Cadets' Drum Corps. 

Tierney Cadets. 

St. Anne's Temperance Society, 

Pulaski Band. 

St. George's Society. 

Sokel Polski, 

Slater Band of Jewett City. 

St. John's Society. 

St. Joseph's Society. 

Fourth Division. 

Maj. Frank J. King and Staff. 
Fifth Regiment Band, M. V. M. 

Odd Fellows. 

Second Regiment Band, C. N. G. 

Central Labor Union. 



OFFICIAL PROGRAM. 1 49 

Fifth Division. 

2^Iarshal Frank T. Maples and Start. 

Floats. 

School Children. 

Sixth Division. 

^Marshal Joseph D. Aiken and Staff. 

Floats. 

Industrial, Society. Merchants and Trades. 

After the parade passes the Tresident he will deliver an 
address from the reviewing" stand, and will then proceed 
to Buckingham Memorial, w'here a public reception will be 
held until 6 o'clock. 

At 5.30 p. m., will occur the second flight of the airshii). 

At 7 p. ni. — There will be band concerts as follows : 
On Union square, by Fifth Regiment band, M. V. AL ; at 
Greeneville, by the Governor's Foot Guard band ; at West 
Side, by Hatch's First Regiment band, C. N. G. ; at Norwich 
town, by Tubbs's Military band. The concert on Union 
square will extend until 8.30 o'clock ; the others from 7 to 8. 

At 8.30 p. m. — Grand display of fireworks on Rogers's 
Hill, above the bank of the Shetucket river directly opposite 
the station of the Xew York, New Haven and Hartford 
railroad. From this eminence the display can be seen from 
nearly every part of the city. This will be the grandest 
display of fireworks ever seen in eastern Connecticut. Dur- 
ing the evening the streets of the business section will be 
illuminated by electrical arches and devices of a spectacular 
nature. 

Tuesday, July 6, 1909. 

At 8.30 a. m. — Demonstration of the Fire Department 
at the Central station. 

9 a. m. — Third ascension of the airship. 

10 a. m. — Automobile parade. All automobiles will be 
decorated and valuable prizes will be given. The line of 



150 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

march will form on Broadway with the first car at the 
theatre. The autos will go up Broadway to Washington 
street, up Washington street to Norwich Town, around 
the Norwich Town Green back to Chelsea parade, passing 
the reviewing stand again, turning into Williams avenue to 
Washington street, down Washington street to West Main 
street, over to the West Side, up Fairmount street and Pearl 
street, through Ann street to West Main street and back 
to Buckingham Memorial, then up North Main street, 
around the car barn and down Central avenue to Main 
street and there disbanding. 

10.30 a. m. — Dedication of a memorial fountain at the 
Little Plain by Faith Trumbull chapter, D. A. R. : 

"The Star-Spangled Banner" Tubbs's band 

Invocation Rev. Lewellyn Pratt, D.D. 

Greeting Mrs. Elizabeth B. Buel, 

State regent Connecticut D. A. R. 
"Connecticut State Hymn." 

Solo Ebenezer Learned. 

Chorus— D. A. R. 
Presentation of the Fountain, 

Mrs. Ellen M. K. Bishop, regent. 
Unveiling of the Fountain, 

Miss Mary Lanman Huntington. 

Miss Helen Lathrop Perkins. 
Reception of the Fountain, 

His Honor, Mayor Costello Lippitt. 

Address Rev. Edwin W. Bishop, D.D., Oak Park, 111. 

Closing Words Mrs. Sara T. Kinney, 

Honorary state regent Connecticut D. A. R. 
"America." 

2 p. m. — Literary exercises at the Broadway theatre, as 
follows : 

1. Prelude Orchestra 

2. Opening address by the president of the day, Hon 

Winslow Tracy Williams. 

3. Reading of Scripture. .. .Rev. Samuel H. Howe, D.D. 



I 



4 

5 

6 

7 

8 
9 

10 

II 

12 

14 



OFFICIAL PROGRAM. I5I 

Prayer. 

Anthem — Choir of 150 voices conducted by Frederick 

W. Lester. 
Welcome by the mayor, Hon. Costello Lippitt. 
Historical address 

President Harry A. Garfield of Williams College. 

Hymn Choir and audience. 

Historical address, 

Arthur L. Shipman, Esq., of Hartford. 

Hymn Choir and audience. 

Plistorical address Hon. Samuel O. Prentice, 

Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Connecticut. 
Original hymn by Margaret W. Fuller, 

Choir and audience. 
Reading of "The Inland City" (Edmund C. Stedman), 

Rev. Lewellyn Pratt, D.D. 
Sine:in2f — •"America." 



At 4 p. m. — Game of baseball between two state league 
teams. 

5 p. m. — Organ recital by Mr. R. Huntington Woodman 
at Broadway Congregational church. 

5.30 p. m. — Last ascension of the airship. 

7.30 p. m. — Concert by Tubbs's Military band, near the 
harbor. 

8 p. m. — Water carnival and illuminated display in the 
harbor under the management of the Chelsea Boat club. 
Grand electrical display on business blocks and thorough- 
fares. 



The headquarters of the celebration will be on the 
main floor of the Buckingham Memorial, which is adjacent 
to the station of the New York, New Haven and Hartford 
railroad, where an information bureau, writing facilities, 
a register and the newspapers of the day can be found. 

It is expected that all the vestries of the several 
churches will be open for rest and comfort stations for 
women and children. 



152 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

The loan exhibition, under the management of Faith 
Trumbull chapter, D. A. R., will be open at the Converse 
Art gallery July 3 to 7, inclusive, at the following hours : 

Saturday, July 3, from 2 to 6 p. m. 

Monday, July 5, from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m. 

Tuesday, July 6, from 2 to 6 p. m . 

Wednesday, July 7, from 10 a. m. to 6 p. m. 

Headquarters for the representatives of the press and 
newspaper correspondents will be furnished on the second 
floor of the banking house of the Thames National bank, 
where all the necessary facilities will be provided. 



THE PARADE. 

(From the Norwich Bulletin.) 

AVinding its way through solid banks of humanity like 
a living river the great parade of Monday was unanimously 
acclaimed the finest spectacle of its kind ever seen in this 
part of the state. About 4,000 people were in line. 

As a patriotic demonstration and a tribute marking the 
250th anniversary of the birth of Norwich it will long be 
remembered and talked of as one of the greatest features of 
the big celebration. 

A continuous round of applause greeted every organiza- 
tion in every division all along the line of march and at 
times burst into a perfect ovation, when a sight of President 
Taft or some particular body of the paraders incited addi- 
tional enthusiasm. The greetings were spontaneous and 
enthusiastic, and this was especially true of the great recep- 
tion accorded to the organizations in the military division. 
The touch of pageantry given the scene by the brilliant 
uniforms of the Putnam Phalanx and the Foot Guard 
caught the eye and fancy of the watching thousands and 
recalled to many minds the stirring historical events of 
colonial days when such uniforms were more familiar on 
the streets of this city than they are to-day. But as the 
more strikingly uniformed troops passed on with their 
glittering arms and silver trappings, to give place to the 



THE PARADE. I 53 

thousands of civilians marching as members of civic frater- 
nities, there was no abatement in the interest with 
which the crowds were held and not until the last 
float in the rear division had passed on did they begin 
to press forward and onward in the trail of the paraders, 
seeking one more look at some particularly pleasing feature 
of the parade. 

Promptness and efficiency marked the management and 
formation of the various divisions, and at the appointed 
time of two o'clock the head of the parade swung into 
Broadway. There had been no hitch in getting the various 
divisions assembled at the appointed places and the taking 
up of the line of march was carried out with commendable 
promptness and despatch. 

First Division. 

In the lead were Sergeant Twomey and Policemen 
Ebberts and Doty, mounted. Then followed Chief Marshal 
Colonel Charles W. Gale and staff, mounted, his staff being 
composed of Z. R. Robbins, John J. Manwaring, Rutherford 
C. Plant, Robert Briggs, J. Harry Shannon, Herbert i\I. 
George, Robert W. Perkins. Charles H. Haskell, Charles P. 
Johnson, Dr. James J. Donohue, Rufus Burnham, Major 
F. A. Fox. 

The platoon of police composed of eight men was under 
command of Capt, George Linton and they were as follows : 
Officers Thomas Brock, Allan Mathews, John Bray, 
Timothy J. Driscoll, Henry Fenton, Charles Smith, Bernard 
B. Morrow, Jacob Vetter. 

Lieut. Colonel Henry S. Dorsey and staff, composed of 
Capt. Percy H. Morgan, C. N. G., New London ; Capt. A. P. 
Woodward, C. N. G., Danielson ; Lieut. Duncan, U. S. A., 
Fort Terry; Lieut. Ernest R. Barrows, C. N. G., New Lon- 
don, mounted. 

Tubbs's band with thirty pieces in charge of Conductor 
Charles W. Tubbs was the first of the organizations and 
gave fine music. 



154 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Midshipmen Made a Hit. 

The first burst of applause was inspired by the body 
of half a thousand midshipmen, in charge of Lieut. Com- 
mander D. E. Desmukes, and commanded by cadet officers. 

The future naval officers immediately caught the crowd 
with their fine appearance and easy marching stride. They 
were clad in regulation dark blue uniforms, moulded to 
finely developed forms, and wore white canvas caps and 
leggins. The privilege of parading in Norwich especially 
appealed to them, as it is seldom that they have ever been 
permitted to take part in a municipal celebration. There 
were ten companies of the middies, a total of 580 men. 
They were ofif the Olympia, Chicago, Tonopah and Hart- 
ford, now in New London harbor and were commanded by 
Brigadier Commander Burne, Brigade Adjutant Lang- 
worthy and Chief Petty Officer Hosford. 

All along the route they were admired and cheered, 
and not without good cause, for they made a splendid show- 
ing. 

On their return to Union Square they attracted much 
attention, as they rounded Broadway corner with their 
fancy turn but as true as if by machinery. At Union Square 
they gave an exhibition drill and won much applause, clos- 
ing with their cheer and three cheers for Norwich. 

Coast Artillery. 

Next in line were three companies of Coast Artillery 
regulars, the I32d, 43d, and 12th, of the New London Artil- 
lery district, Major Ellis commanding, and following them 
six companies of the Coast Artillery corps: loth, Captain 
Connor, 2d, Captain Rogers; ist. Captain Paul of New Lon- 
don; 3d, Captain Hagberg; 5th, Captain Tarbox of Norwich, 
and 13th, Captain Armington, of Danbury. The Eleventh 
band, V. S. C. A. C, was escort for this section of the 
military division, and all along Broadway they were honored 
as the escort of President Taft and party. 




u 



u 



X 



THE PARADE. I 55 

In the first carriage were President Taft, Winslow T. 
Williams, president of the General Committee, Captain 
Archibald Butt, and a secret service man. 

Foot Guard and Phalanx. 

Of all the troops the Governor's Foot Guards and their 
bands and the Putnam Phalanx and its drum corps made 
the big hits of the day. The Second company of New 
Haven had the right of the line in this section. There were 
over 100 men in this company and their bearskin head- 
pieces, scarlet, silver trimmed and epauleted coats, cream 
colored, tight-fitting pants, and dark leggins, made them 
a center of attraction and recipients of ovations from the 
start to the finish of the parade. This was also true of the 
First company of Hartford, immediately preceding the 
second carriage in which were Governor Weeks, Edwin A. 
Tracy, chairman of the Executive Committee, and Adjutant 
General Cole. 

In the carriages following were the members of the Gov- 
ernor's staff as follows: Maj. Archibald E. Rice, Waterbury; 
Maj. Louis M. Ullman, New Haven; Lieut. Com. Frederic 
A. Bartlett, Bridgeport; Adjt. Gen. Col. William E. F. Lan- 
ders, Meriden ; Asst. Quartermaster Gen. Col. Michael J. 
Wise, Flartford ; Quartermaster Gen. Col. Robert O. Eaton, 
Montowese ; Surgeon Gen. Col. Frederick F. Graves, Water- 
bury; Commissary Gen. Col. Andrew N. Shepard, Portland; 
Paymaster Gen. Col. Elmer H. Havens, Bridgeport. 

Following in carriages were: First Selectman Lathrop 
and Selectmen Francis E. Beckwith and Albert W. Lilli- 
bridge, and Town Clerk Charles S. Holbrook, Mayor 
Costello Lippitt, Aldermen Frank A. Robinson, Lyman W. 
Whiting and Grosvenor Ely, and Councilmen C. Leslie 
Hopkins, Louis H. Geer, Edgar B. Worthington, and 
Joseph H. Gilbert, Walter F. Lester, John Heath, Hugh 
Blackledge, Walter H. Woodworth, Tax Collector Thomas 
A. Robinson, City Treasurer Ira L. Peck, and Street Com- 
missioner George E. Fellows. 



156 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

In Broadway the parade halted at Williams avenue and 
the companies gave way to allow the President, the 
Governor, with his staff, and the town and city officials to 
proceed to the stand. 

Putnam Phalanx. 

Those veterans of many marches and many such occa- 
sions as that of Monday, the famous Putnam Phalanx of 
Hartford, were never more appreciated than they were in 
Norwich. There were thousands among the throngs that 
bordered the line of march who saw them for the first time, 
though knowing them well by reputation. 

These were quickly recognized by their blue continental 
uniforms with wide buff facings and their plumed chapeaux, 
worn with distinction. Their tan-topped boots seemed to 
drag a little toward the latter end of the afternoon, but they 
finished the march like good soldiers. Everywhere they 
were given great applause. 

Boys of '61. 

Members of Sedgwick Post, G. A. R., made the first 
division complete and the float containing a score or more 
of the boys of '61 stirred up patriotism at every yard of the 
parade. The gun and carriage presented to the state by 
Governor Buckingham and which has a history of service, 
of capture by the confederates and recapture by the union 
forces, was also included in the G. A. R. section. 

Second Division. 

Behind Major William A. Wells and staff" riding at the 
head of the second division was the Newark Letter Carriers' 
band, acting as escort for Postmaster Caruthers and his 
guests and the government employes of the city. 

The last of the Mohegans, once proud tribe, repre- 
sented in the parade by a half-dozen fantastically painted 
and garbed braves, on foot, and a few women in carriages, 
was a suggestive feature linking the long gone past to the 
present. 



THE PARADE. 1 5/ 

Then came the members of the Modern ^^'oodmen of 
America, some uniformed and carrying- axes, making a good 
showing. 

Next came the members of the O. B. A. society, and 
next in order the Joseph Garibaldi society, wearing scarlet 
blouses with bright green trimmings on the sleeves and also 
on the caps. 

The Putnam City band was escort for the United Ger- 
man societies, distinguished by their baldrics tinted in the 
colors of the Fatherland. The St. Jean Baptiste society 
of Taftville made a good showing and attracted attention 
by a pretty float with a lamb and a child clad in sheepskin, 
representing the boyhood of St. John. 

The Worcester Cadet band was at the head of the 
Swedish societies. One company in this group were nattilv 
clad in white duck with yellow and white sashes. With 
them also was one of the most striking floats of the parade, 
a A^iking ship, in which were several persons representing 
those great men of the deep. 

Third Division. 

At the head of the third division were Col. T. P. 
Murphy and his staff. At the head of the line were the Red 
Men, mounted, and with as much war paint and regalia as 
any chief need have. They were as full of war-whoops as 
the street cars were of passengers. They had it on the real 
Indians — the last of the Mohegans — as far as capacity to 
emit shrill and war-like shrieks went, and they apparently 
were having as much amusement as they furnished the 
spectators. 

Behind them was Wheeler's band of Willimantic and 
the Second Division. A. O. 11. They wore no coats, but 
white shirtwaists, black pants and shoes, green neckties, 
sailor hats and carried Jap parasols. They received much 
applause. 

An Irish jaunting car, Christopher Barry, driver, with 
some pretty colleens for passengers, received applause at 



158 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

every point in the line of march. The green uniformed 
Hibernian Rifles of New Britain were also well received. 

Division No. i, A. O. H., and the Knights of Columbus 
were next in line and with the St. Mary's T. A. B. society 
presented an interesting section of fraternal organizations. 

Few of the marching bodies were greater favorites than 
the khaki-clad Tierney cadets, and many complimented the 
boys on their excellent showing. 

There was another touch of color at the part of the 
parade where the Pulaski band, St. George's society and the 
Sokel Polski were assigned, completing the third division. 
The uniforms, outside of the military division, were the 
most resplendent of any in the parade, and were worn with 
pretty effect. The Slater band of Jewett City were at the 
head of the St. John's society and St. Joseph's society. 



Fourth Division. 

In the fourth division, Major Frank J. King and staff, 
were the members of the Odd Fellows' society, with the 
Massachusetts Fifth Infantry band as escort. Their ap- 
pearance called forth many complimentary remarks. The 
Second Regiment band was at the head of the large repre- 
sentation from the Central Labor union. 



Fifth Division, 
Floats.— The Schools. 

Every float in the fifth division, representative of the 
schools, got its share of applause, and was a cleverly con- 
ceived and prettily executed idea. 

Thought and patience were required to work them 
out, but there was none which did not add to the attractive- 
ness of the parade. The floats and a description follow: 




E-dSt Side Pul)lic School l-'loat. 




St. Patrick's Parochial ScIuhi! hloat. 



THE PARADE. 1 59 

Norwich Free Academy — ''Colonial Home Life." Com- 
plete colonial costuming, showing the family, with fireplace 
and big pot in which dinner is cooking, the small boy, Hum- 
phrey Almy, turning the spit ; grandmother. Miss Faye 
Newland, knitting; mother. Miss Lois Perkins, spinning; 
father, William E. Perry, cleaning gun ; son, Benedict C. 
Pullen, wdiittling; daughter. Miss Henrietta Gardner, sew- 
ing; little girl, Aliss Dorothy Jones, rocking the cradle. 

Broadway school — "Revolutionar}' Soldiers." Depict- 
ing Gen. George Washington in conference with Gov. Jona- 
than Trumbull on the lawn at the home of Jedediah Hunt- 
ington at Norwich Town, all in complete costume. George 
Washington, Theodore Haviland ; Jonathan Trumbull, 
Edwin Sherman ; Jedediah Huntington, Channing Hunt- 
ington ; Washington's body guard, Ernest Smith, Fitch 
Jewett, Carl Kinney, Harold Robinson, Ronald Kimball ; 
colonial soldiers, Frederic Crowell, Francis Forsberg, 
Everett Peckham, James Stanley, Avery Gallup. 

St. Patrick's school. — This was one of the most attrac- 
tive floats in the procession. It represented a modern 
battleship, and the curtain covering the body of the vehicle 
bore the words, "Our Army and Navy Forever." The ship 
was designed by J. J. O'Donovan and was made as realistic 
as possible. On the bow was a cross, near which stood 
three little girls dressed in white to represent Religion, 
and at the stern was a pretty little miss representing the 
Goddess of Liberty, arrayed by the Sisters of Mercy, who 
attended to the decoration of the battleship. On deck 
were a number of boys in full uniform, representing the 
commissioned and petty officers, the sailors and marines. 
The float was a credit to St. Patrick's parochial school 
and was appreciated by the people of Norwich. 

West Chelsea school district — "Uncas Signing the 
Deed" was pictured here, the float being trimmed with 
evergreen, roses and the British flag and was drawn by four 
horses. The table was a trunk of a tree and there was a 



l60 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

wigwam and a dog. The characters were: Major Alason, 
Leroy Swan; Rev. Mr. Fitch, Edgar Welden; Mr. Tracy, 
Tyler Stanton; women, Elizabeth Evans, Rosa Beckley; 
Uncas, Bennie Weinstein ; his sons, Clarence Whitaker, 
James Alulcahy; braves, Gedaliah Segol, Felix Debarros, 
Walter Newbury; Indian boy, Frank Lamb; Indian women, 
Fanny Schulman, and Jennie Swartzbiirg. 

Falls school — "Indian Life." A white birch tepee in 
a grove of white birch, cedar and elderberry, with twenty 
school children in Indian costume, chiefs, braves, and 
squaws, the girls doing beadwork, the boys making snow 
shoes, and a squaw grinding corn with an old fashioned 
Indian mortar and pestle. Red plumes on the four horses. 

Bridge district school — '"The Rose of New England." 
A beautiful bower of pink roses within which on seats in 
pyramid arrangement was a group of thirty boys and girls, 
as "The Rosebuds," and at the apex "The Rose Queen," 
Lucy Blackburn. Plumes and rosettes on the harness of the 
four gray horses. 

Town street school — This float represented the old 
liberty pole and tent which used to stand on Norwich Town 
Green, with four boys aboard in costume of the times. 
They were Walter Crabtree, John Hughes, Clifford 
Lathrop, Arthur Mullen. The float was decorated with 
bunting and flags. 

Greeneville grammar school had a reproduction of "The 
Little Old Red School House on the Hill," the place where 
our forefathers gained their scanty store of knowledge with 
patient toil, the time when men rose in spite of their lack 
of learning, in contrast with the present, when (it is said) 
men rise despite their education. A red body inclosing 
twenty-five industrious pupils, members of the graduating 
class, seated at old time desk and bench on three sides, the 
teacher at front ; the girls dressed in staid colonial style, 
black dress, white kerchief and cuffs, the boys in dark 
trousers, dark blouses, white collars and cufifs. Above 



THE PARADE l6l 

was the hipped roof, in red, white and blue, with the 
typical red chimney and the flag. It was the product of 
the combined efforts of Principal Clifton H. Hobson and 
Louis O. Potter. 

The First Congregational church of Norwich Town 
was represented by an historical float, ''The First i\Icc':- 
ing- House on the Rocks," the original having been built 
the year after the founding of the town. The old white 
meeting house, with peaked roof and steeple, occupied the 
center of the float. It was Sunday and the Puritans were 
entering their newly built church, while in the rear hostile 
Indians were skulking. This tableau was carried o;it 
very effectively and reflected credit upon Owen S. Smith 
and Aron A. Dickey, the committee in charge. This re- 
ceived much applause along the line of march especially on 
Washington street. 



Sixth Division. 
Floats, Industrial, Society, Merchants, and Trades. 

Yantic Woolen Co. — This float was planned to show the 
process of manufacturing carded woolen goods, picturing 
it from the farm to the needle. There were live sheep and 
wool in the differing forms up to the finished goods. Four 
horses drew the float, two men in jumpers leading the 
horses, while on the float were two shepherds under the 
canopy. There was a display of flags and bunting, the 
v/hole making a pretty picture. 

The Shetucket Cotton Co. — This float was an A-shapcd 
structure displaying a piece of every grade and kind of 
cloth marie at their factory in Grcencville. The many 
variegated colors made up a handsome exhibit, which Vvas 
designed by Supt. ^^^ T. A\'oodward. 

The United States Finishing Co. had one of the most 
attractive of the industrial floats in line. On a rectangular 
frame with an arched roof were displayed in six sections, 



1 62 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

two on each side and one on each end, the productions of 
this big plant, including mercerized sateens and pongees, 
printed lawns, printed taffetas and serpentine crepes. On 
top of the roof was the name of the corporation in letters 
of white on a blue ground, below which was indicated the 
branches constituting the company. The arched roof was 
covered with stripes of red, white and blue, carrying out 
the patriotic color scheme. The float was the design of 
Frank H. Lester. 

The Norwich Belt Mfg. Co. displayed as the products of 
their plant different colors of leather, belting and lace 
leather on a square float, ten feet long by eight wide, hand- 
somely decorated with bunting, and drawn by four horses. 
Lengthwise of the float was the name of the company. In 
the center was a large three-ply belt, 52 inches wide, no 
feet long which with two smaller ones, each 34 inches wide 
and 65 feet long, required a total of 249 steer hides. The 
entire process took place at the company's big tannery in 
Greeneville. 

The Clinton Woolen Mill's float illustrated the produc- 
tions of their plant. On a platform 8x 15 feet,was a four- 
foot fence of posts of spools roving off the cards. Be- 
tween these posts were bobbins and yarn, above the fence 
was a four-foot lattice work, made of twisted strings of 
billiard cloth. In the corners were looped up bobbins of 
yarn. In the center stood a ten-foot pole, supporting a 
canopy of twisted billiard cloth. The front, red, white and 
blue broadcloth, was draped. A basket of pure white wool 
and a beam of warped yarn ready for the loom also were 
shown. The horses wore broadcloth blankets, bearing the 
name of the company in letters of gold felt. The float was 
designed by L. H. Saxton, assisted by Mrs. Saxton. 

Hopkins & Allen Arms Co. — Representing the firearms 
industry this company had an attractive float. In the center 
of a base 14x8 feet was a pyramid, surmounting which was 
a flag of each country, representing the export trade. At 
each corner was a staff with banners with the name of the 



THE PARADE. 1 63 

company, and on the skirt "Hopkins & Allen arms circle the 
globe." At the corners there were stacks of rifles and guns, 
and on top of each staff was a revolver. Flowers and colors 
on the pyramid with other floral decorations made a pretty 
effect. White flowers in a green background formed the 
name of the company on the pyramid. 

The McCrum-Howell Co.'s float was drawn by six 
horses, containing a display of heaters and bathtubs, refrig- 
erators of several sizes, displaying the products of their 
local industry. The float attracted much attention. On 
their second float was a display of radiators of several sizes, 
showing the work put out by the concern. Their floats con- 
tained their business cards and made a pleasing exhibit. 

Geduldig, the fiorist, had a float completely covered 
with products of the greenhouse, garden and forest, all com- 
bining to make a beautiful display. This proved a feature 
of the parade. 

Totoket Mills Co. — Drawn by four horses and gaily 
trimmed with red, white and blue. This float contained 
two looms which were in operation. One was 250 years 
old and was brought here from Germany, while the other 
was a modern one. Several women from the mill were 
on the float and the goods manufactured were displayed. 

The Ponemah Mills Co. — Their float represented a 
scene on a cotton plantation, 'way down south in Dixie, 
with the cotton plants in bloom, watermelons in the fore- 
ground and happy negro cotton pickers with banjo and song 
in the field and a negro driver. It was drawn by six horses, 
caparisoned in white and red, while the skirt of the float 
and banners at the corners were of the same colors. It was 
made realistic and a feature of the parade, and at the review- 
ing stand the singers stopped and entertained the President 
and crowd with songs. 

The Ulmer Leather Co. — A float drawn by three yoke 
of prize steers contained the forms of five large belts, the 
center one, the largest, representing a four-ply waterproof 



164 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

cemented leather belt, 180 feet long, 108 inches wide, 6,480 
pounds, requiring 540 steer hides ; capable of transmitting 
3,500 horsepower, with a sign, "The steers will go faster 
when Ulmer makes them into machinery belting." In each 
corner was a form representing a two-ply leather belt 91 
feet long, 48 inches wide, weighing 2,912 pounds, and re- 
quiring 184 steer hides. There were plumes and flags, with 
a red, white and blue shield on each belt, with streamers 
leading from the nine-foot belt to each four-foot one. There 
were also cables of red, white and blue, with small flags and 
plumes. 

Uncas Specialty Co. — Auto parts such as timers, dis- 
tributors, siren horns and magnetos, were shown on this 
float in two pyramids. There was a canopy top, the posts 
being wound with colors. 

Reliance Worsted Co. — This float was 16 x 18 feet, with 
the platform and posts decorated with red, white and blue 
bunting, and in the center of the top an American flag. Two 
bales of Australian wool were shown, bright colored 
worsted yarn on spools and in skeins, and about the edge 
was worsted cloth in various processes of manufacture. 
There were two cases of goods, one marked San Francisco 
and the other Portland, Me. 

Bard Union Co. — Representing Aluminum bronze on 
a four horse float was a huge union, such as is made by 
the company, being eight feet high and seven feet wide, 
with the word Bard on one side and Patent on the other. 
Business cards of the company were on each side of the 
float, which was prettily decorated with red. white and 
blue, the wheels being done in colors, with gold hubs. 

J. T. Young Boiler Co. — This handsome float, decorated 
in colors, had a single boiler on a pedestal, with streamers 
running to it from posts at each corner. It made an attrac- 
tive display of the company's product. 

Stoddard, Gilbert & Co. — Four-horse float in blue and 
white, the Hermitage brand of canned goods being dis- 



THE PARADE. 1 65 

played on eighteen tiers of shelves arranged tank-shape. 
The horses had fancy blankets and plumes. 

Northwestern Consolidated Milling Co. — The trade- 
mark of Cresota flour was impersonated by George Harris, 
dressed in dark short trousers and cutting a huge loaf of 
bread. He was seated in front of a bag, back of which stood 
a barrel of the flour. It was a tandem team, done prettily 
in yellow and wdiite. 

The J, B. Martin Co.— Manufacturers of silk velvets had 
an attractive float exhibiting a variety of the kinds and 
colors of their finished products, displayed on an A-shaped 
structure. 

E. Raphael & Son. — A tw^o-horsc float, on each side of 
which was a likeness of Ellis Raphael, with the signs, "The 
Oldest Cigarmaker in the State of Connecticut," "The 
Veteran of 1859 and Here To-Day," on the sides and rear. 
There were flag decorations showing part of a cigar shop 
and two men w'ere giving away cigars. 

Troy Steam Laundry. — A costly and attractive float 
drawn by four horses, with a large revolving dome, covered 
with shirts. There were twelve people on the float operat- 
ing the collar and cuff machines and ironing table. The 
machines were operated by a gasoline engine. This was 
ilecorated Avith colors and was one of the features of the 
])arade. 

Norwich Nickel & Brass Co. — Displayed on a four- 
horse float with two tiers of shelves were the products of 
the factory, fastened on a background of red plush. There 
were sponge shelves, cast bases for fixtures, tie, card and 
collar stands, umbrella fixtures and mirrors in polished and 
Ijrushed brass and nickel. On the top, which had a brass 
railing about it, were forms for women's shirt waists, with 
palms, while at each corner of the float were revolving cloak 
racks. Business cards of the firm were held in card racks. 
There were a few flags and the name of the company was 
Ml the skirt of the vehicle. 



l66 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

C. H. Davis & Co. — Two horses driven tandem, with 
white blankets, drew the float of this company, which had 
a pretty Japanese roof effect, and displayed were barrels of 
pork, sausages and pails of lard. 

Uncas Paper Co. — This handsome float attracted much 
attention, having, as it did, a canoe on a sixteen-foot float, 
with material about it representing water. Elevated length- 
wise of the float was a roll of newsboard four feet in diam- 
eter. At each corner was a roll of paper, the product of 
the mill, and on each side of the float were four foot circles, 
through which could be seen Indians paddling the canoe. 
The rings were decorated with roses and foreign flags, rep- 
resenting export trade, and at the front and back were large 
American flags. The float was drawn by four horses and 
bore the sign, Uncas Paper Division, American Strawboard 
Co. 

The Falls Mills Co. illustrated their products on a 
handsome float. The display was on two tiers, on top were 
shown rolls of red, white and blue cotton lap, and below 
them cottonades, outing flannels, denims and flannelettes. 
The whole made a pleasing exhibit. 

Plaut-Cadden Co. — This was one of the neatest floats 
and one that attracted much praise and comment along 
the line of march. It was drawn by six coal black horses, 
each equipped with an elaborate blanket advertising the 
Wasserman piano. On the float were three pianos, all being 
pla3^ed at one time by three young Norwich misses. Beau- 
tiful palms and flowers showed that a great deal of time and 
pains were spent on it by their decorator, Adelard Morin. 
The float also displayed the celebrated Victor Talking 
machine, which this firm makes a specialty. The float was 
in charge of H. Sears and E. C. Leavitt of the firm's stafif. 

Sedgwick Post, No. i, G. A. R. — Thirty members of the 
Post in uniform seated in chairs upon a four-horse team with 
low railing and decorations in the national colors. In the 
center a tableau, "The Spirit of '76," and an old army 
kettle filled with lemonade. 



THE PARADE. 1 67 

Haile Club. — An old fashioned stage coach 75 years 
old, covered from the ground up with paper flowers in light 
blue and white, the club colors, the same on the harness and 
pole, with banners showing the club name. The coach was 
drawn by four black horses with four outriders in costume : 
Adelard Morin, James P. Sheridan, Everett B. Byles and 
William Bode ; two footmen, Norbert Schutz and Raymond 
Sherman ; a driver and a bugler, James Yerrington and 
William Young. A group of the club members, mandolin 
players and singers, rendering old-fashioned songs, the man- 
dolin players inside and the singers on the top of the coach. 
Tliey were the following: Singers — Misses Helen Crowe, 
Delia Woodmansee, Annie O'Brien, Mrs. Juliet Beasley, 
Misses Ruth Beetham, Mary Kane and Bertha Woodman- 
see; mandolins — Misses Florence Carpenter, Ruth Lord, 
Sarah Loring, Lena Heibel, Mrs. Maud Baker, Misses Alice 
Stevenson and Mary Hendrick. 

W. C. T. U. — Float made in canopy form, trimmed 
entirely in the emblematic white, drawn by four horses. 
Two girls and two boys of the L. T. L. at each corner, carry- 
ing flags, with State President Mrs. C. B. Buell of Hartford, 
County President Mrs. H. A. Randall of Groton and officers 
of the W. C. T. U. and Y. W. C. T. U. riding on the float. 
The initials of the organization shown in gold on the side. 

Open House. — A three-horse hitch, two bays and a 
black, before a three-seater with a top, the whole trimmed 
with red, white and blue paper fringing, with plumes on 
the horses and at the four corners of the top. Club name 
shown on a sign on the top, and the meml)ers riding in the 
team and wearing white duck trousers, dark coats and straw 
hats were Ellsworth Williams, Ernest E. Partridge, Clarence 
Simpson, Clarence B. Messinger and Joseph H. Leveen. 

New England Order of Protection. — Representing Nor- 
wich lodge. No. 248, and Thames, No. 326, a pretty lattice 
float trimmed with wistaria and green enclosing the six- 
pointed star of the order, and drawn by two gray and two 
bav horses. Four children riding on the float — Gladys and 



l68 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Lucretia McCaffrey of Boston, Anna May and Marguerite 
Foley, Milford and Russel Pitkin Newbury. 

Chelsea Boat Club. — Float decorated in laurel and 
crimson rambler roses and containing" a canoe in which 
were two little girls, Irene Wilson and Viola Grover. The 
club janitor, William E. Geary, in sailor costume, also rode 
upon the float, and upon the side were the floral letters, 
"C. B. C. 

Knights of Pythias. — Representing Wauregan lodge, 
No. 6, Gardner lodge. No. 46, and Clover temple. No. 9, 
Pj^thian Sisters. A float made all in white with graceful 
bell-shaped top, trimmed with red and blue and from which 
hung red bells. On an elevated seat under the central bell 
a little girl, Florence Buckley, in white, wearing a veil and 
gold crown. Twenty Pythian Sisters were seated around 
her, and at the corners behind representations of knights 
stood four Knights in Pythian gilt armor and helmets. 
Over the driver a 'Pythian" arch and on the four horses 
white blankets lettered K. of P. in black and with red, white 
and blue trimming. 

Edward Chappell Co. — The large iron dump wagon of \ 
this concern was filled with the various sizes of coal, show- 
ing anthracite, bituminous and cannel coal. Six horses, 
three abreast, the leaders being jet black, drew the load, 
there being five men in white, one driving and four walking 
beside the team. The horses had plumes and the wagon 
was decorated with flags and had the company's sign. 

Foresters. — Representing Court City of Norwich, No. 
63; Court Sachem, No. 94, and Court Quinebaug, No. 128. 
Drawn by four gray horses in white blankets lettered 
F. of A. in red and trimmed with blue, a float bearing an 
oil painting of the emblem of the order, a deer's head, a 
gilded eagle above it, F. of A. pennants and an American 
flag at each corner. William A. Harvey, Louis J. Lynch, 
Cornelius Kennedy and William Weldon upon tree stump 
seats, wearing regalia of white shirt, blue tie. straw hats, 
white gloves and black trousers. The driver was in wood- 



LOAN EXHIBIT. 169 

man's costume and "Foresters" was on drop curtains around 
the wheels. 

Order of Vasa, Lodge Oscar, No. 30. — A viking ship 
with crew of nine fierce sea-wolves, complete in old Norse 
armor, weapons and flags. Blankets of blue and yellow, 
the Swedish national colors, upon the four horses and the 
same colors used around the float. 

St. Anne's Society. — Representing "The Spirit of 
Lil^erty." Seated in three tiers, with the club president, 
Aliss Mary Foley, as the Goddess of Liberty, thirteen pretty 
young women in white, wearing gold crowns and blue 
shoulder sashes with the names of the thirteen colonies in 
gold lettering. A little girl in red, covered with roses, 
representing the Rose of New England. Palms and 
national colors for decorations. Blue blankets with "St. 
Anne's Society" in gold, on the four horses. 

The Ladies' Auxiliary, A. O. H., had an Irish jaunting 
car as a feature and novelty in the parade. It was direct 
from the "ould sod," and besides the driver of the one horse, 
carried six passengers, three on each side, in white gowns 
and wearing green sashes — fair types of Irish beauty. 

From every standpoint the parade was a complete suc- 
cess. It was well managed, got away in good time, went 
over the prescribed route and came back in good order. By 
a close estimate the number participating was slightly less 
than 4,000. 

Estimates of the number viewing the pageant vary 
between 50,000 and 75.000, but persons familiar with Nor- 
wich history unite in declaring it the greatest ever. It was 
not marred by an accident of a serious nature, and was in 
every way the greatest feature of what is being made a 
great celebration. 

LOAN EXHIBIT. 

The loan exhibition in the Converse Art Gallery under 
the auspices of Faith Trumbull chapter, D. A. R., opened 



170 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

at 2 p. m. on Saturday with a choice and varied collection 
of ancient articles connected with Norwich history. 
Nothing less than seventy-five years old was thought of 
sufficient antiquity to be interesting, and from this the 
pieces dated backward through Revolutionary and colonial 
days to the time of the founders of Norwich. There were 
even a few older than Norwich herself, dating from early 
days in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies. 

Those in Charge. 

Mrs. Amos A, Browning was the chairman of the 
committee in charge of the exhibit, which was divided into 
twelve classes. The chairmen of these twelve divisions were : 
Furniture, Mrs. B. W. Hyde; manuscripts and books, Miss 
Ellen Geer; handwork, Miss Lucy Geer; laces, fans, and 
jewelry, Mrs. W. Tyler Browne ; pewter and brass, Mrs. 
W. H. Cardwell and Miss Cardwell ; china. Miss Sarah L. 
Tyler; mirrors and clocks. Miss Fannie L. Bliss; silver and 
glass, Mrs. James L. Case; pictures, Mrs. Will L. Stearns; 
wearing apparel, Mrs. Nelson D. Robinson ; miscellaneous 
articles, Mrs. William B. Robertson ; Indian relics. Miss 
Eliza W. Avery. Mrs. Clinton E. Stark had charge of the 
registering of the names of all visitors to the exhibit. Mrs. 
William G. Henderson compiled the valuable catalogues for 
the exhibit. Mrs. B. P. Bishop, the regent, was also a 
member of the committee. 

Furniture Display. 

Mrs. Hyde had her furniture attractively arranged in 
the south alcove of the gallery, forming a room fully fur- 
nished with ancient chairs, tables and other pieces, loaned 
by Mrs. W. A. Thompson, Miss Annie E. Waters, Mrs. 
Noyes D. Lamb, Miss M. J. Palmer, Mrs. Amos A. Brown- 
ing, Mrs. Freelove E. Johnson, Mrs. C. F. Paul Hoffman, 
Mrs. B. W. Hyde, Mrs. William H. Cardwell, Mrs. George 
Greenman, Mrs. George A. Sydleman, Miss Ellen Geer, 
Mrs. William M. Olcott, Miss Susan Allen, Mrs. B. P. 



LOAN EXHIBIT. I7I 

Bishop, Mrs. Olive W. Piatt, Rev. George A. Bryan, Mrs. 
Mary A. C. Norton, Miss Lucy Geer, Miss Ruth Witter, 
Miss Eliza W. Avery, Mrs. George R. Hyde, Mrs. Lewellyn 
P. Smith, Miss Sarah Huntington Perkins, Miss Helen 
Marshall, Mrs. A. W. Dickey, James PI. Malony, Mrs. 
William B. Young, Mrs. H. H. Osgood, Mrs. A. L. Kellogg, 
S. Alpheus Gilbert, Mrs. James O. Landon, Mrs. Charles 
Cook, Mrs. Lucy A. Forbes, Mrs. Charles R. Butts, Mr. and 
Mrs. George L. Carey, Miss A. M. Fisher, Frank C. Turner, 
Winslow T. Williams, Mrs. John C. Boswell, Mrs. Plarriet 
Huntington Smith, and Mrs. William P. Potter. 



Ancient and Valuable Tables. 

A mahogany table loaned by W. T. Williams belonged 
to Gen. Jedediah Huntington ; the Mayflower table came 
from England in 1630, and the chairs belonged to Pres. 
Jonathan Edwards, General Knox, Gen. Israel Putnam's 
family. Dr. Philemon Tracy and Elizabeth Lathrop. A 
sword carried by Col. Samuel Tyler at Stonington in 1814, 
and pair of pistols of Col. Zabdiel Rogers in the French and 
Revolutionary Wars were loaned by Mrs. Olcott. 

Books and Manuscripts. 

Aliss Geer had an interesting collection of books and 
manuscripts loaned by Mrs. B. W. Hyde, Mrs. Elizabeth 
B. Davis, Frank N. Gardner, Mrs. E. F. Burleson, Miss 
Alice C. Dyer, Mrs. George D. Coit, Mrs. M. M. Leavens, 
Mrs. George A. Sydleman, Dr. W. S. C. Perkins, Mrs. 
William M. Olcott, Miss S. A. Armstrong, Mrs. Thurston 
Barber, Jonathan Trumbull, Mrs. William P. Potter, Miss 
Annie E. Waters, Mrs. Benjamin T. Lewis, Henry M. Coit, 
Roberts H. Bishop, Mrs. B. P. Bishop, Miss Caroline H. 
Thompson, James H. Malony, William H. Shields, Mrs. 
Henry Rogers, Miss L. Angle Stanton, Misses Ripley, Miss 
Caroline T. Gilman, Miss Adelaide L. Beckwith, Mrs. 
Marion O. Ashbv, Misses Bliss and Misses Geer. 



172 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Handwork of All Kinds. 

Miss Lucy Geer had handwork of all kinds, exquisite 
embroideries, bead bags, crewel work, counterpanes, knit- 
ted goods and handspun and woven cloth. Those loaning 
were: Mrs. Bela P. Learned, Misses Ripley, Mrs. Henry 
Peck, Miss Annie E. Waters, Mrs. Cora L. Tracy, Mrs, 
Oliver L. Johnson, Mrs. Julia Robbins, Winslow T. 
Williams, Mrs. W, A. Thompson, Mrs. Speeler and Mrs. 
F. E. Johnson, Mrs. B. W. Hyde, Miss Caroline H. Thomp- 
son, Mrs. Lewellyn P. Smith, Mrs. Henry T. Arnold, Mrs. 
Addison J. Champlin, Mrs. William J. Tefft, Mrs. Arthur H. 
Keables, Mrs. Freelove E. Johnson, Miss M. J. Palmer, Mrs. 
Frank A. Robinson, Mrs. Frank Clark, Mrs. Francis E. 
Dowe, Mrs. Irving N. Gifford, Miss Sarah B. Rogers, Miss 
Ellen V. Marvin, Mrs. M. A. Barber, Mrs. Isaac Gallup, 
Mrs. Charles D. Gallup, Miss Gilman and Mrs. Lane. Mrs. 
A. W. Dickey, Miss Sarah L. Tyler, Mrs. Henry M. Coit, 
Mrs. William M. Olcott, Mrs. J. G. Ayer, Mrs. Julia Arnold, 
Mrs. William A. Aiken, Mrs. M. M. Leavens, Airs. N. G. 
Gilbert, Mrs. D. M. Lester, Miss Caroline T. Gilman, Mrs. 
R. A. DeProsse, Edward P. Hollowell, Mrs. William H. 
Cardwell, Miss Sarah H. Perkins, Mrs. Lucy A. Forbes, 
Mrs. M. A. Geer, Miss Adelaide L. Beckwith, Misses Geer 
and Mrs. Mary A. Pellett. 

Mitts and Shoes 223 Years Old. 

Mrs. B. P. Learned loaned the mitts and shoes, 223 
years old, worn by Zerviah Leffingwell, child of Ensign 
Thomas Leffingwell. 

Array of Laces. 

Mrs. Browne had a choice array of laces from Mrs. 
William A. Aiken, Mrs. Frank Bruce, Miss Charlotte C. 
Ciulliver, Miss Gilman and Mrs. Lane, Airs. Lewell3^n P. 
Smith, Mrs. George Betting, Mrs. Cora L. Tracy, Airs. W. 
T. Browne, Airs. Jonathan Trumbull, Airs. George D. Coit, 
Aliss AI. J. Palmer, Airs. Luc}^ A. Forbes, Alisses Ripley, 



LOAN EXHIBIT. 



/O 



]\Irs. F. E. Dowe, Mrs. Addison J. Champlin; of fans from 
Miss Sarah H. Perkins ; ten fans which belonged to the 
"Lady Huntingtons," Mrs Martin E, Jensen, Miss Char- 
lotte C. Gulliver, Miss Oilman and ^Irs. Lane, Miss Jane 
McG. Aiken ; fan belonging to wife of President Franklin 
Pierce, Mrs. William A. Aiken, Mrs. William B. Young, 
Jonathan Trumbull, Mrs. G. F. Barstow, Miss Annie L. 
Ruggles, Mrs. F. L. Osgood, Miss Fanny L. Bliss, Miss 
Eliza W. Avery, Miss Ella Norton; and jewelry from Miss 
Helen Marshall, Mrs. George Betting, Dr. and Mrs. W. 
Tyler Browne, Miss Mabel A. Cardwell, Mrs. Ida F. Harris; 
carved tortoise shell comb, Mrs. Ansel A. BeckAvith, Miss 
Charlotte C. Gulliver, Misses Ripley, Mrs. W. S. C. Perkins, 
Jonathan Trumbull; knee buckles of the first Governor, 
Jonathan Trumbull, Mrs. Jonathan Trumbull, Miss Steiner, 
Charles P. Cogswell, Miss Amy L. Cogswell, Mrs. A. 
Hough, Mrs. Eunice H. Fellows, Mrs. F. L. Osgood, Frank 
C. Turner, Mrs. William P. Potter, Miss Lucretia H. Grace, 
Mrs. Foster Wilson, Misses Lucas. Pewter and brass were 
contributed by Mrs. B. P. Bishop, Mrs. A. A. Browning, 
Mrs. W. H, Cardwell, Mrs. F. E. Dowe, Mrs. Daniel Drew, 
Miss Ellen Geer, Charles D. Gallup, Mrs. B. W. Llyde, Mrs. 
Rufus PL Hathaway, J. D. Haviland, Airs. Oliver L. John- 
son, Mrs. F. E. Johnson, Miss Mary King, Mrs. James O. 
Landon, Mrs. John C. Morgan, Mrs. H. M. Pollock, Misses 
Ripley, Miss Josephine Storms, Mrs. Cora L. Tracy, Miss 
Lucy A\'hite, Mrs. A. Hough, Mrs. George A. Haskell, Mrs. 
G. F. Barstow, Mrs. Addison Avery, Mrs. W. P. Potter, 
Winslow T. Williams, Mrs. B. P. Learned, Miss Ellen Geer, 
Mrs. Channing Pluntington, Miss Sarah H. Perkins, Mrs. 
William B. Robertson, Mrs. Avery Smith, Mrs. Leweliyn 
P. Smith, Miss Ruth Witter, Henry M. Coit, Mrs. Ida F. 
Harris, Mrs. Hugh McComb, Mrs. Owen Smith, Frank C. 
Turner. 

Rare Old China. 

Miss Tyler has a large collection of china from Mrs. 
Cora L. Tracy, Miss Annie E. Waters, Mrs. Amos A. 



174 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Browning-, Mrs. W. H. Cardwell, Mrs. Lewellyn P. Smith, 
Mrs. J. A. Sutliff Lyon, Mrs. B. P. Learned, Mrs. O. L. 
Johnson, Mrs. B. P. Bishop, Mrs. Charles R. Butts, Mrs. 
A. S. Comstock, Mrs. B. W. Hyde, Miss E. J. Shipley, Mrs. 
G. F. Barstow, Mrs. Henry F. Palmer, Miss Sarah Adams 
of Jewett City, Mrs. G. Curtis Hull, Mrs. Foster Wilson 
and Miss Vaughn, Mrs. Carrie E. Havens, Mrs. Seth Main, 
Miss Marion M. Perkins, Mrs. Hugh H. Osgood, Mrs. 
Thomas Perkins, Mrs. Wallace S. Allis, Miss A. M. Fisher, 
Mrs. F. E. Dowe, Mrs. Lucy A. Forbes, Miss Ella Voorhees, 
Dr. W. T. Browne, Mrs. Ransom, Mrs. L. G. Avery, Mrs. 
George L. Carey, and Miss A. M. Fisher, Mrs. William P. 
Potter, Mrs. Ansel A. Beckwith, Mrs. H. C. Cheney, N. D. 
and M. W. Rouse, Mrs. Edwin Spaulding, Frank C. Turner, 
Misses Geer, Mrs. G. A. Haskell, Mrs. Owen Smith, Misses 
Bliss, Miss Mary St. J. Rudd. There were copper lustre, 
Lowestoft, salt glaze from Bean Hill pottery loaned by 
Misses Bliss; puzzling jug, Miss Rudd; five-finger vase, 
Mrs. Averill; tea caddy used by one of the founders of 
Norwich, Mrs. L. P. Smith ; a cup and saucer from the 
"Guerriere," taken by the U. S. frigate "Constitution" in 
1812, were loaned by Mrs. B. P. Learned. 

Mirrors and Clocks. 

Miss Bliss had mirrors and clocks in variety from Mrs. 
L. A. Forbes, Mrs. C. L. Tracy, Mrs. H. F. Palmer, Mrs. 
W. T. Browne, Mrs. Henry H. Walker, Mrs. L. P. Smith, 
Mrs. O. D. Fuller of Lebanon, Miss A. M. Fisher, F. C. 
Turner, Mrs. Owen Smith, Mrs. Seth Main, Miss A. E. 
Waters, Mrs. Adin Cook, Mrs. Leonard B. Almy, Mrs. 
Francis A. Bidwell, Mrs. A. A. Browning, Mrs. J. O. 
Landon, Miss Ruth Witter, Mrs. George Betting. 

Mirror of Mayflower Days, 

The oldest mirror was one which belonged to Peregrine 
White of Plymouth, of Mayflower days, loaned by his 
descendant, Mrs. Mercy E. Cobb Fuller of Lebanon. 



LOAN EXHIBIT. I75 

Silver and Glass. 

Mrs. Case had a choice array of silver and glass from 
Irving N. Gifford, Mrs. D. Bedent, Mrs. William B. Robert- 
son, Miss Mary King, Roberts H. Bishop, Mrs. W. H. Card- 
well, Miss Sarah A. Armstrong, Mrs. B. P. Bishop, Mrs. 
Charles R. Butts, Winslow T. Williams, Mrs. John C. Mor- 
gan, Misses Geer, Mrs. Josephine Storms, Mr. and Mrs. 
James O. Landon, Miss Mary E. Bidwell, Mr. and Mrs. 
William B. Young, Miss E. J. Shipley, Mrs. William M. 
Olcott, Mrs. W. T. Browne, Miss Helen Marshall. Miss 
Gilman and Mrs. Lane, Jonathan Trumbull, Miss Sarah L. 
Huntington, Miss Charlotte C. Gulliver, Mrs. L. P. Smith, 
Mrs. Frederick L. Osgood, Miss Annie E. Vaughn, Mrs. A. 
Hough, Miss C. T. Gilman, Mrs. G. F. Barstow, Miss Ella 
Voorhees, Mrs. Frank Martin, Mrs. A. A. Browning, Harriet 
C. Cheney, Nancy D. and Martha W. Rouse, Miss Lucretia 
H. Grace, Frank C. Turner, Mrs. Harriet H. Smith, Misses 
Ripley, Miss A. E. Waters, Mrs. C. L. Tracy, Mrs. N. D. 
Robinson, Mrs. B. W. Hyde, Mrs. A. S. Comstock, Mrs. 
Wallace S. Allis, Dr. Witter C. Tingley and Miss Tingley; 
a silver cup was the property of John Robinson, Jr., father 
of Faith Robinson Trumbull, loaned by Jonathan Trumbull, 

Many Cleveland Spoons. 

Mrs. F. L. Osgood loaned a tea set of Sheffield plate, 
Miss C. T. Gilman, a porringer over 200 years old, and there 
were many Cleveland spoons. Mrs. Stearns had pictures of 
Norwich and other old prints and some curious needlev/ork 
pictures. Contributors were: Mrs. H. G. Burnett, N. D. 
Sevin, Miss Sarah Gorton, Mrs. H. L. Yerrington, Mrs. R. 
C. Jones, Mrs. F. E. Johnson, Mrs. W. M. Olcott, Mrs. 
Daniel Drew, Gurdon L. Bidwell, Mrs. William A. Aiken, 
Miss Susan Allen, Miss Mary Rudd, Misses Ripley, Mrs. 
Eunice H. Fellows, Mrs. Josephine Storms, W. T. Williams, 
Miss Gulliver, Miss Grace, Henry M. Coit, Irving N. 
Gififord, Mrs. Elizabeth B. Davis, Misses Lucas, Harry F. 
Parker, Mrs. Svlvester Subert, Mrs. J. W. Newton, Miss 



1/6 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Sarah H. Perkins, Mrs. Avery Smith, B. P. Bishop, Frani<: 
Nichols, W. B. Young, John Donovan, Miss C. T. Oilman, 
J. E. C. Leach, Mrs. S. A. Curtis, Frank M. Hilton, Mrs. 
F. L. Osgood, Miss MilHe Turner, WilHam H. Shields. 

Slippers Worn in Dance With Lafayette. 

The large oil painting of Norwich Mrs. Subert ; the 
"Garden of Eden" in crewel work. Miss Oilman, and a 
portrait of Miss Frances M. Caulkins, author of History of 
Norwich, loaned by Mrs. H. H. Pettis, were interesting. 
Mrs. Robinson had some antique wearing apparel from Miss 
S. H. Perkins, slippers worn by Miss Huntington to dance 
with Oeneral Lafayette in 1775 ; Mrs. Addison J. Champlin, 
Misses Williams of New York, Miss C. T. Oilman, Mrs. H. 
F. Davis, Miss Kate Willey, Mrs. J. C. Morgan, Mrs. N. D. 
Robinson, Mrs. Frank Clark, Misses Ripley, Isaac S. Jones, 
Miss Annie E. Vaughn, Mrs. Cardwell, Mrs. F. E. Johnson, 
Mrs. Browning, Miss M. J. Palmer, Mrs. W. B. Robertson, 
Mrs. Avery Smith, Mrs. Frank A. Mitchell, Mrs. Mary A. 
Pellett, Miss Oulliver, Mrs. H. H. Osgood, Mrs. Henry S. 
Higgins of Brantford, Canada ; Mrs. O. D. Coit, Edward P. 
Hollowell of Preston, Mrs. Olin F. Boynton of Uncasville, 
Mrs. Oeorge Mills of Lebanon, Mrs. Oeorge A. Keppler, 
Mrs. Wilham H. Shields, Mrs. J. H. Oeorge, Mrs. Oeorge 
Oreenman, Mrs. Frank Clark, Mrs. Lucy A. Forbes, Mrs. 
B. F. Pendleton, Misses Oeer, and Mrs. Owen Smith sent 
many articles having interesting histories and of ancient 
date. A wedding gown of pink striped silk embroidered in 
roses was copied from one worn by the English queen. 

Miscellaneous Articles, 

Mrs. Robertson had a lot of miscellaneous articles : 
Smoking tongs, Mrs. B. L. Lewis ; doll's coach, a smaller 
edition of the lord mayor of London's, Dr. and Miss Ting- 
ley; tinder box. Miss Oeer, and several Revolutionary 
swords with other things from Mrs. JuHa H. Newton, Miss 
S. H. Perkins, Miss Ruth M. Thayer , Miss Annie L. 



LOAX EXHIBIT. 1 77 

Rug-gles. Miss Susan Allen, Mrs. B. P. Learned, Jonathan 
Trumbull, F. J. Leavens, Miss Mary Rudd, W. T. Williams, 
}iliss Mary C. Barnes, Miss Waters, Mrs. W. T. Browne, 
Misses Ripley, Mrs. B. P. Bishop, Dr. Anthony Peck, Miss 
S. A. Armstrong, .Mrs. W. B. Robertson. Misses Bliss; a 
model of the old geometry bridge over the Shetucket, Mrs. 
R. H. Goldsworthy, Miss Gulliver, Mrs. H. PL Osgood, 
Misses Geer, Miss Alice C. Dyer, Mrs. L. A. Forbes, Mrs. 
L. P. Smith, Mrs. D. P. Walden. Miss M. C. Buckingham, 
Mrs. George Mills, Mrs. A. Hough, Miss Ruth Witter, Mrs. 
G. D. Coit, Mrs. Olin Boynton, Mrs. G. A. Plaskell, Mrs. 
J. O. Landon. Master Tyler Rogers, Miss Geer, Mrs. 
Arthur Keables, Mrs. A. A. Beckwith, Mrs. Edwin Spauld- 
ing, Mrs. Charles C. Richards, Mrs. PL H. Smith, !\Iisses 
Lucas, Mrs. Frank Clark. 

Indian Relics. 

Among the Indian relics Mrs. E. T. Baker of Mohegan 
loaned a mortar and pestle 300 years old; Miss Gilman, a 
bowl, called the Uncas bowl, and Lemuel Fielding, a 
bottle belonging once to Uncas. There w^as an Uncas deed, 
Samson Cecum's Bible, from the Misses Ripley, and other 
relics from Rev. John H. Newland, Mrs. Emma T. Baker, 
Lemuel Fielding, Mrs. Essie Nickolson of Plainfield, Arthur 
L. I'eale, Charles E. Briggs, Miss Josie Carter, Dr. W. S. 
C. Perkins, Adams P. Carroll, Miss Alice W. Cogswell, Miss 
Mary C. Barnes, Mrs. Nelson D. Robinson, Mrs. Daniel 
Drew, Miss Geer, Mrs. L. G. Avery, R. B. Gorton, Mrs. 
Ransom. 

Major Mason's Sword. 

Major John Mason's sword, from the Historical society, 
occupied a position of honor in a special case, and down- 
stairs in the hall was the "Torrent," the first fire engine 
used in Norwich and the sixth one built in America, 1769. 
Among the books of Miss Geer's division was the original 
subscription list for this engine, having signatures of all 
the prominent citizens of that date, loaned by Misses Bliss. 



1/8 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Antique Furniture. 

The north alcove was occupied by Emerson P. Turner, 
who had his own specimens of antique furniture, arranged 
in chronological order — Indian, early colonial, Dutch, Chip- 
pendale, Adams, Hepplewhite, Spanish, Sheraton, Ameri- 
can, empire; also copies of Connecticut Gazette and Nor- 
wich Packet. David M. Torosian showed five pieces of 
furniture. 

(From the Norwich Bulletin.) 
SERMONS. 

In response to the request sent out to ministers to 
preach historical sermons Sunday morning, there was a 
general efifort made along that line by the clergy, although 
sermons dealing with the anniversary rather than historical 
in most cases were preached. The congregations were 
very large, including many former members who had moved 
from town and many visitors. In a number of churches 
the regular communion sermons were preached, a number of 
the ministers feeling that historical sermons were hardly 
appropriate to them owing to their comparatively short 
residence here. However, in practically all the churches 
some reference was made to the anniversary. 

At the First Congregational Church, Sunday morning, 
a church which is as old as the town, Rev. George H. 
Ewing, pastor, took as his topic, "Some Roots of Our City's 
Character," and preached from Isaiah 26:1: In that day 
shall this song be sung in our land : We have a strong 
city: salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks. 
Mr. Ewing said: 

If the story of Norwich has any vital significance what- 
ever, it is to be found in the contribution which our fair 
city has made toward the realization of Christ's kingdom on 
earth. Cities, like human beings, have an element of per- 
sonality. No two are alike, and each has its own individu- 
ality. Public buildings and palatial residences do not make 



SERMONS. 179 

a city. Character makes a city. 1 purpose to point out 
some roots of that character as they He snugly imbedded in 
the history of Norwich. 

1. First, observe the debt we owe to the first founders 
of our town. When Major John Mason and Rev. James 
Fitch and their thirty-three companions left the town at 
the mouth of the Connecticut and came to the beautiful 
wild land at the head of the Thames, they impoverished 
a Saybrook, but by the sterling qualities of their character 
they permanently enriched a Norwich. The first pastor of 
this church was no mere ecclesiastic. He was a man of 
God, a lover of souls, a zealous and indefatigable pastor, 
a devoted missionary to the Indians. The other of the two 
leading" founders was a man of no less weight. Three times 
a pioneer hero, once at Dorchester, again at Windsor, and 
a third time at Saybrook, he was not deterred by his 
three-score years from casting in his lot for a fourth time 
with a new town. For eight years he was deputy governor 
and' for two years acting governor of Connecticut. For 
years men of such caliber were moulding the town that 250 
years ago nestled in this lovely valley. Truly our greater 
debts are payable not to mountains or rivers but to men and 
moral principles. From them we have acquired not only 
a fair name in which to glory, but a solid character to sus- 
tain through years as yet unborn. 

2. The character of Norwich is firmly rooted in 
religion. In those early years church and state were one. 
The leading men in the political society were the leading 
men in the ecclesiastical society. Practically all the 
founders were also church members. The whole settle- 
ment was emphatically a Christian brotherhood. For sixty 
years so closely were town and church knit together that 
the afifairs of both were recorded in one book. The univer- 
sal text book for school children was the New England 
Primer, which contained the Westminster catechism. 
Whatever we may have to say for or against the wisdom of 
our fathers in their strict observance of the Lord's day we 
cannot deny that they were men of conscience. Their 



I So NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

religion was no veneer. It was the most important part of 
their lives. With the march of the centuries fashions have 
changed. The Puritan Sabbath has retired to the back- 
ground. Church going is not the universal custom it once 
was. The outward forms of religion do not bulk so large 
as in the olden days when social relations were simpler. 
Yet who shall say that the great spiritual realities which 
underlie religious forms are growing dimmer or losing their 
force ? 

3. The character of this fair city lies rooted in her 
loyalty to state and nation. As a pioneer town of a pioneer 
colony, and as a growing and busy city under the stars 
and stripes we have never forgotten that we are part of 
a greater whole. When the burdens of settlement were most 
severe the duty of town to state never fell into abeyance. 
The committee of safety appointed by the governor in 1775, 
consisted of nine persons, of whom three were Huntingtons 
from Norwich. When the war was waging with all its 
dreadful carnage, George Washington could find no man 
in all the country better fitted for the office of brigadier 
general than our own Jedediah Huntington. The two great 
wars in which our country has been engaged were schools 
of patriotism at once for those on the firing line and for 
those who at home prepared the sinews of war. This spirit 
has been wrought into the warp and woof of our life. It 
has become a part of our character. 

If by some high act of imagination we could uncentury 
ourselves and look down upon our present-day Norwich 
from the vantage point of distant years I am confident we 
should see more clearh^ than now we can how marvelously 
the hand of God is moulding the affairs of our city to His 
own eternal honor. 

At Trinity Episcopal Church on Sunday morning the 
Rev. J. Eldred Brown spoke on "What the Churches 
Contribute to Civic Life," his text being Psalm 127:1, 
"Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but 
in vain." Mr. Brown said: 



SERMONS. i8t 

In the order of civilization the morahties, graces and 
refinements of Hfe canie last. First and foremost came the 
brute instinct of self preservation. The original members 
of the human race were for a long period fully occupied in 
battling with the gigantic forces of primeval nature. 
Forests had to be felled, means of defense provided, both 
against savage beasts and against their fellow men who, in 
the fierce contest for existence, recognized no right but 
that of brute force. In those rude times and circumstances 
only the physically strongest could survive. Before man 
could even feel free to enjoy bare subsistence a host of 
natural forces had to be opposed and brought under control. 
All this made the animal side of man predominant. The 
conditions of life tended towards the development of the 
stronger and more heroic qualities ; they made man a 
fighter. It is not surprising, therefore, to find these qual- 
ities uppermost for ages in color, tribe, nation and even 
empire. Xor is it unnatural that the standards of the world 
should have been for ages physical prowess and brute 
strength, as displayed in the arena and in war. Moreover, 
men found it hard to overcome this brute inheritance and 
custom. They for ages could rise only to the external side 
of refinement — its comforts and luxuries. And these, for 
lack of the internal virtues which alone can give them 
worth, simply made men effeminate. And so this sort of 
civilization always degenerated and finally perished under 
the weight of its own vices. This was the case with all 
the ancient empires, including Rome. 

Life, as we know it, with its moralities, restraint, 
respect for law. its sympathies, generosities and refine- 
ments, is the creation of Christianity. It is the natural 
resultant of the conviction that slavery is a hideous sin, 
that wars of conquest are degrading, that woman is on a 
par with man as regards her native rights, and his superior 
as regards the gentler and more humane qualities ; that man 
has, over and above his animal nature, an immortal soul; 
that material possessions are all temporal and perishable ; 
that the truly heroic qualities are neither physical nor 



l82 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

mental, but moral and spiritual ; that the refinements and 
graces that truly ennoble life are not its comforts and 
luxuries, but its moralities, sacrifices, generosities and 
charities, which make life honest, clean, just, peace- 
ful and loving. And these are the qualities in life 
for which the churches stand, and which they are ever 
seeking to practice and preach. When we look over the 
list of institutions which make a city a good and desirable 
place to live in we find that there is no one of them which 
is not in direct need of religion to strengthen and develop 
it. Foremost among these institutions, because at their 
base, is the home. How much the character of a city de- 
pends on the character, teaching and example of its homes ! 
What is more essential to the good name and prosperity of 
a city than homes which have at their head honest, tem- 
perate, law-abiding, God-fearing fathers, and pure, devoted, 
unselfish, home-loving mothers? The home that is the 
opposite of these is a breeder of corruption and criminality, 
a fashioner of the stufif out of which comes the pauper, the 
degenerate, the vicious. Now the churches are the home's 
best friend. Whatever virtues and moralities are taught in 
a good home are confirmed and extended by the churches. 
We can never realize how much the churches mean to the 
home, directly and indirectly, until we imagine our children 
obliged, while still infants, to live and grow up in a heathen 
community. The creation of a community conscience, or 
environment, which is the work of Christianity, directly aids 
a good home and helps to correct the influence of the bad 
home. The school is another institution essential to the 
attractiveness and worth of a city. But the school trains 
chiefly the mind. Learning is essential to fit and train the 
child for life ; but learning, without character, is a danger 
and a menace. It is the work of the churches to moralize 
learning, to convert it into wisdom, to make us realize its 
subordination to duty and character. There is no greater 
friend of the school than the church, which teaches us to 
consecrate our learning to principle and service. 

So again it is essential to a city that it should be well 
governed. Its mayor and council should have knowledge 



SERMONS. 183 

of the city's needs and ability to meet its problems. Its 
police force should be adequate. Its courts should exercise 
even justice. Its lawyers should be well learned in the law. 
But we may have all this and be poorly governed, because 
our ofihcers and legal guardians are devoid of character and 
given over to the desire for "graft." In a word, back of 
everything that concerns the government of a city is the 
absolute need of character, of moral principle and backbone. 
This is what religion and the churches are endeavoring to 
contribute to the government of a city. They aim to pro- 
duce the kind of men that will govern wisely and honestly, 
and they aim to develop a community-conscience that will 
seek such men for civic office. And, finally, the welfare of 
a city depends much on its charitable and philanthropic 
enterprises — its care for its poor, unfortunate and sick. 
Now the Christian religion insists on the law of love. It 
is the spirit of Jesus to work for others. Wherever the 
Christian church has gone there have quickly followed 
hospitals, orphanages, homes for the destitute and fallen, 
and every sort of organization for the relief of sorrow, 
suffering and misery. The churches are the creators or 
inspirers of these institutions, and it is the churches which 
principally maintain them. Such, then, and such like, are 
the contributions which the churches make to the vital 
institutions of a city. And such have been the contributions 
of its churches to the civic institutions of Norwich. Nor- 
wich to-day is what it is largely because of its church mem- 
bers, past and present. Its homes, its schools, its govern- 
ment, its charitable institutions and enterprises — whatever 
goes to make up its desirableness as a place of residence — 
are in large part the creation of men who have believed 
in the providential ordering of God and have endeavored 
to realize that, back of all human devices for the safety 
and welfare of the city, there must be the fear of God and 
the desire for righteousness. Given these things in an 
individual, you have good citizenship. Given them in a 
community, you have a community which the Lord will 
always "keep." 



184 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

At the First Baptist Church on Sunday morning the 
pastor, Rev. W. T. Thayer, preached a sermon consonant 
with the thought of the celebration. His text was from I 
Samuel 7:1-2, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us." Con- 
fronted with to-day's problems man would fail in their solu- 
tion without the tutelage of the past. What God has done 
God can do. Leaning on the staff of memory we walk over 
the highways of the yesterdays and listen as experience tells 
us how the Lord hath helped us. Recognition of past favors 
engenders confidence for future guidance. What this church 
has contributed toward the religious life of the city cannot 
be told. Knowledge cannot lead the way and imagination 
soon outruns reason. This is of little import compared with 
the service to be rendered on the morrows. The record of 
the past is with God. The promise of to-morrow is ours. 
Our fathers sowed and did their work well. It is for us 
to put in the sickle and meanwhile sow for another's reap- 
ing. The future is veiled in mystery, but the succor of God 
in the years gone by bespeaks a large mission in those to 
come. If it be true that the gates of hell endeavor to pre- 
vail in proportion as the cause is of God, then this church 
is commissioned of God, for many have been the enemies 
who have sought to undermine it. Still it has a peculiar 
mission. The West Side has its own problems and this 
church must help in their solving. To the support of the 
cause we may confidently ask all of our own faith, and 
indeed all of whatever name who desire the perpetuity of 
Christian principles, the maintenance of a Christian com- 
munity. The future is bright with promise for God com- 
pletes his work. On creation's evening He said: "It is 
good." Giving the law to Israel he said : "Thou shalt not 
add thereto." On Calvary he exclaimed: "It is finished." 
Our work is never finished. We strive to complete a circle 
and night finds us with only a segment. Not being able 
to detect the curvature in the circle, discouragement fol- 
lows, for life seems flat and monotonous. Science, art, 
invention, these are still in their infancy, and Christianity 
is young. To-morrow a larger horizon will be ours and 
a truer vision, for God is clearing the spiritual atmosphere. 



SERMONS. 185 

Trust him, for hitherto he hath helped us, and as the past 
has given us a rich heritage, labor and love that others 
entering into our labor may find the heritage richer and 
more as Christ desires. 

St. Patrick's Church. In place of the customary low 
mass which is the rule in St. Patrick's parish during July 
and August, the rector. Rev. Hugh Treanor, had a high 
mass celebrated on Sunday because of the large number of 
anniversary visitors. The music arranged by Choir Director 
F. L. Farrell was well interpreted by the regular choir, 
Miss Greeley and Roderick F. Sullivan singing an "Ave 
Maria" at the offertory with tuneful blending of voices. 

It Avas the fifth Sunday after Pentecost and the day's 
epistle, I Peter iii. 8-15. "Dearly beloved: Be ye all of 
one mind in prayer, sympathizing, loving the brotherhood," 
etc.. suggested the theme of Brotherhood, Unity, upon 
which Father Treanor spoke. 

Incidentally he directed attention to the part which 
Catholics had had in the moral and material growth of the 
town. 

The mass was celebrated by the Rev. Joseph McCarthy, 
who gave the benediction of the blessed sacrament at its 
close. 

At the Bean Hill Methodist Episcopal Church on Sun- 
day morning, Rev. Jerome Greer took for his text, 
"Righteousness Exalteth a Nation, but Sin is a Reproach 
to Any People." He said : 

The lesson of the text is self-evident. Men who ought 
to be seeking righteousness are seeking their own way. 
Because punishment is long deferred men think it will not 
come. The children of Israel sinned and were punished. 
Rome's decline and fall had its causes in sin and the 
corrupting influences that sapped the vitality of the nation's 
strength. 

Our country is yet new ; it takes time for influences to 
work out. If evil continues it leads to destruction. But 



1 86 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

there are forces for righteousness. Love of country, love 
of home, love of God, go together to make a true patriot. 
The right heart of the individual will affect society as a 
whole. 

We need to put the reproach of the saloon out of the 
land. Reformation has begun in the observance of the 
Fourth. Our city will have 150 extra policemen to prevent 
explosives this year, but the saloons will do much more 
damage if they are not closed. 

All good centers about a church, about her altars and 
issues from her doors. We do not know the value of 
Methodism to this community and city. In 1790 the first 
Methodist sermon was preached in Norwich. The first 
Methodist church was here on Bean Hill. The congregation 
worshipped first in the old academy just below here. 
Righteousness is still to be exalted because of this church. 

At Christ Episcopal Church Sunday morning, Rev. 
J. Newton Perkins of New York, formerly of this city, 
occupied the pulpit and preached from Isaiah 35:1. "The 
wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them ; 
and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." He 
reviewed the history of the Episcopal church in this coun- 
try and its adverse reception in this state. While Puritan- 
ism was taking deep root in Connecticut it is not surprising 
that a period of eighty-eight years elapsed after the settle- 
ment of the town before any one had the courage to open 
a prayer book or suggest a liturgical service in Norwich. 

It is not surprising that out of New England Congre- 
gationalism came the man who was destined to be the 
pioneer Episcopal missionary in this wilderness as well as 
the father of the Episcopal church in this town. 

Mr. Perkins referred to the laying of the cornerstone of 
the third edifice of this venerable parish by the first bishop 
of Delaware, who as a lad had been educated here. The 
building surpassed in architectural design any structure in 
the city. On a stone table which stood beneath the triple 
lancets of the chancel window for years there was the name 
of Ebenezer Punderson, who for four years had been a 



SERMONS. 187 

Congregational minister in North Salem, but relinquished 
his charge and sought ordination from the bishop of London. 
He was assigned the missionary post of North Groton, 
Norwich and Hebron and during thirty years he failed to 
officiate on only one Sunday. He raised up eleven churches 
and became pastor of this church in 1749, remaining two 
years. 

The Rev. John Tyler, also received holy orders from 
the lord bishop of London, was settled as rector in 1769 
and retained the office for fifty-four years. 

In 1758 Christ church was named and in 1789 the 
parish removed to Main street where the church was con- 
secrated in 1 791 by Bishop Seabury. The old church was 
removed to Salem in 1830, the second church having been 
consecrated in 1829. The cornerstone of the present church 
was laid in 1846 and the church consecrated by Bishop 
Brownell in 1849. On July 11, 1882, the consecration of 
St. Andrew's church in Greeneville took place. 

That the ministrations of succeeding pastors of this 
flock have not been fruitless is witnessed by the fact that 
four bishops of our church and eighteen ministers of the 
gospel received their early education in this parish. 
Of this goodly number, all but two have gone to their 
rest. 

At the Universalist Church, Sunday morning. Rev. 
Joseph F. Cobb, pastor, preached from the text Deut. 4:32, 
"Ask now of the days that are past," and said : 

As a town we are celebrating the 250th anniversary 
of its birth, and we are to-day to consider the relationship 
of this church to the town. As we look over more than 
a hundred years since Universalism was first preached in 
this town we shall find that almost undreamed of changes 
have taken place in the thought and temper of the inhab- 
itants in regard to religion. It will not be my purpose to 
enter into any theological argument at this time, but simply 
to rehearse for you the historical setting of this church 
and societv. 



l88 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

To-day Universalists believe in (i) the universal 
fatherhood of God ; (2) the spiritual authority and leader- 
ship of His Son, Jesus Christ; (3) the trustworthiness of 
the Bible as containing a revelation from God; (4) the cer- 
tainty of just retribution for sin; (5) the final harmon}^ of 
all souls with God. 

The Universalist church stands for Christian manhood 
and womanhood. You will find a reason for living cor- 
rectly, justly and truly in the words that are over the 
entrance to this building: 'We. trust in the living God who 
is the Saviour of all men." I. Tim. 4: 10. 

The first American preacher of Universalism was Dr. 
George de Benneville, born 1703, died 1793, who was both 
a physician and preacher. In 1741 he came to America and 
at Olne}^, Penn., built a house with a hall seating fifty 
people, in which he often preached. 

Rev. John Murray is the father of our organized church. 
He came to America in 1770, and in 1772 he came to Nor- 
wich and preached in the great Meeting House occupied 
by Dr. Lord (First Congregational). 

As often as once or twice a year, for several successive 
years, Mr. Murray paid visits to this town and preached. 
He reckoned among his early and steadfast friends and a 
believer in the final salvation of all men Rev. John Tyler, 
then rector of Christ church (Episcopal). 

About the year 1791 a Universalist society was formed 
in this town. Not much is known about this early society, 
but it is quite certain that the society was in operation when 
Rev. Elhanan Winchester, an eloquent preacher of Univer- 
salism, visited Norwich in the year 1794. After the death 
of Mr. Winchester the doctrine of Universalism did not 
seem to advance. Many of the believers attended the First 
church and others the Episcopal church, where courtesy and 
liberality were extended towards them. 

The first clergyman, after this season of spiritual declen- 
sion, to preach the restitution of all things and arouse the 
sleeping brotherhood of that faith, seems to have been Rev. 
Edward Mitchell of New York. New life and vigor seemed 
to have been put into the believers in universal salvation. 



SERMONS. 189 

and they began to bestir themselves for another effort. 
Accordingly Rev. Rosea Ballon, 2d, then of Stafford, 
preached several times from 1817 to 1820. 

Toward the close of the year 1820 the present Univer- 
salist society was organized, under the name of the Society 
of United Christian Friends in the towns of Norwich, 
Preston and Groton. 

In the spring of 182 1 Rev. Charles Hudson was engaged 
to preach here one-fourth of the time for a year, but 
remained until 1823. 

The church building (that is now a dwelling house 
on Cliff street) was erected on the site where we are now, 
and on July 21, 1821, was solemnly dedicated to the worship 
of the one true "God who is the Saviour of all men, espe- 
cially of those who believe." Rev. Edward Alitchell 
preached the dedication sermon. In the spring of 1812, 
by the judicious labors of Mr. Hudson a Sabbath school 
was opened, thought to be the first Universalist school in 
the state and among the first in America. 

Rev. Zephaniah Grossman preached one-fourth of the 
time for a year, 1823-1824. In April and May, 1825, arrange- 
ment w^as made with Rev. Zelotes Fuller to preach half the 
time for a year. He continued to July, 1827. From 1827 
to 1834 there was no settled pastor. In October, 1834, Rev. 
Asher Aloore, then of New London, w-as engaged to preach 
once a month for a year. In the fall of 1835 Rev. John H. 
Gibson was called to the pastorate and remained less than 
two years. It was during his pastorate that the Sabbath 
school was formed that continues to the present time. 

It was also during his ministry that the name of the 
society was changed to that which it now bears, viz., "The 
First Universalist Society in Norwich." In 1842 an act of 
the legislature was obtained legalizing the change and also 
the proceedings of the society to that time under its new 
name. 

From 1836 to July, 1838, the society was without a 
settled pastor, yet during that period a church was organ- 
ized on the 6th of February, 1838, through the influence of 



190 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Mr. Gerard Bushnell, then a member of the society, but 
who later became a Universalist minister. 

In July, 1838, Rev, Henry Lyon became the pastor and 
continued until April, 1840. In the summer of 1840 Rev. 
J. V. Wilson succeeded to the pastorate, under whose en- 
couragement, advice and material aid this present building 
(which we are to leave July 11, 1909) was erected. There 
were 202 contributors. The bricks were made by a Mr. 
Standish of Preston. The building committee was Jedediah 
Spaulding, Charles Denison, Theodore F. Albertson, Caleb 
Miller and Thomas Potter. The edifice was completed and 
dedicated in the fall of 1841. 

The sermon was preached by Rev. W. S. Balch of New 
York. Among the workers of 1841 now living are Mrs. 
Hempstead, Mrs. Hill and Mrs. Crocker. The pastorate of 
Rev. Mr. Wilson terminated in the early part of 1842. He 
was succeeded by Rev. R. O. Williams, who served to the 
autumn of 1844. November 5, 1845, Rev. L. C. Brown was 
installed as pastor, resigning in September, 1848. January 
II, 1847, the society voted to buy more land and enlarge the 
church building. 

October, 1848, Rev. Elhanan Winchester Reynolds 
commenced his labors here and was installed pastor Novem- 
ber 15, 1848, at which time this building, which had been 
enlarged, was dedicated. Mr. Reynolds resigned in Septem- 
ber, 1850. Rev. A. L. Loveland immediately succeeded him, 
serving until October i, 1853. 

Rev. Benjamin Whittemore, the honored, beloved and 
revered pastor of this society for eight years, became the 
leader of this people in April, 1854, serving until the spring 
of 1862. 

After the resignation of Rev. Mr. Whittemore, Rev. 
R. P. Ambler accepted a call on April 15, 1862, remaining 
until May, 1865. 

Under the pastorate of Rev. J. Riley Johnson, who 
began his duties October 16, 1865, the church was reorgan- 
ized October, 1866, adopting a new covenant and constitu- 
tion November 19, 1866. In 1892 the constitution was 



SERMONS. 191 

again revised. Mr. Johnson's resignation was accepted 
September 27, 1869, when resolutions of the most favorable 
character were adopted commending Brother Johnson and 
his work, also that of Mrs. Johnson. 

Rev. Asher Moore served from December 14, 1869, to 
March 27, 1871. Rev. J. M. Paine began November 13, 1871, 
serving to November 25, 1872. Rev. J. J. Twiss served 
from January, 1873, to April i, 1875. December i, 1875, 
Rev. L. P. Blackford began one of the longest pastorates in 
the history of the society, serving as pastor to February, 
1884, a period of eight years two months. Rev. S. G. Davis 
was next called to take up the work as pastor on the first 
Sunday in May, 1884, resigning June 21, 1886, but continued 
to supply the pulpit for some time. 

On May 22, 1887, Rev. G. W. Jenkins began a happy 
pastorate, which terminated with his death, which occurred 
Sunday, October 16, 1892. During his administration 
January i, 1890, found the society actually free from debt, 
and it was then resolved not to incur a debt again. 

On May i, 1893, Charles A. Bidwell began his labors, 
which continued to July 31, 1895. The first Sunday in 
January, 1896, Rev. Marion Crosley became pastor, which 
relation existed until October i, 1898. On September i, 
1899, the present pastorate began. 

At Greeneville Congregational Church on Sunday 
morning. Rev. C. H. Ricketts preached a church historical 
sermon, which was heard with much interest. He said: 

This section of "the Rose of New England," still 
retaining the old name of Greeneville, came into existence 
about the year 1828. It was in this year that the Water 
Power company was incorporated with a capital of $43,000 
for the purpose, as the old records say, "of building a dam 
and canal in order to bring the waters of the Shetucket 
river into manufacturing use." William P. Greene, from 
whom the village evidently derived its name, was the largest 
stockholder and the moving spirit. 



192 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

He had previously purchased the land known in those 
days as Sachem's Plain, extending from the junction 
of the Shetucket and Quinebaug rivers, on both sides, for 
the distance of three miles. 

Immediately the old Shetucket dam was built of solid 
masonry, and a canal dug forty-five feet wide, nine feet deep, 
and seven-eighths of a mile in length. The old Shetucket 
cotton mill was the first of our manufacturing enterprises, 
to be followed by the Chelsea Paper Manufacturing com- 
pany, at one time said to be the largest paper-making 
establishment in the world. 

Our fathers did not allow great business enterprises to 
crowd out their religious duties. Religious services were 
held from the very beginning of our community life, but 
definite organization dates back to January 18, 1833, when 
twenty men banded themselves together as the Greeneville 
Ecclesiastical society, and among that number are not a 
few that have had much to do in the material development 
of Norwich. Among the number who signed that first call 
are Samuel Morey, William H. Coit, Benjamin Durfey, 
Oliver Woodworth, Nathan Sears and Nathan P. Avery. 
There is every reason to believe that at the same time steps 
were regularly taken to form a Congregational church in 
this newly settled community, for the names of the original 
or charter members are preserved. They are as follows : 
Nathan P. Avery, Eunice A. Avery, afterward the wife of 
Harland Hyde; Mary Avery, William H. Coit, Mrs. 
Cornelia E. Coit, Noah Davis, Jonathan R. Davis, Mrs. 
Mary (Cornin) Davis, Benjamin Durfey, Ardelia E. Durfey, 
Harvey Lathrop, Mary M. Lathrop, Octavia Lathrop, 
Samuel Morey, Wilson Potter, Mrs. Cynthia Potter, Asa 
Peck, Mrs. Lydia Peck, AValter O. Pearl and Mrs. Esther 
Pearl. 

It naturally followed that provision should be made 
for a sanctuary and parsonage. Accordingly, between the 
years 1833 and 1835 a meeting house and a parsonage 
were built. The church was first known as the Fourth 
Congregational church of Norwich, but after the abandon- 



SERMONS. 193 

ment of the Third church in 1842, it received the latter name 
in the order of organization, although its locality has forced 
upon it the name of the Greeneville Congregational church. 

According to the records of Januar}^ 18, 1833, Samuel 
Alorey, William H. Coit, and Benjamin Durfey were con- 
stituted the first committee of the Ecclesiastical society to 
engage a pulpit supply, and Rev. Dennis Piatt was secured 
for the ensuing three months, but probably remained to the 
close of the year 1833. 

At a regular meeting of the society held in January, 
1834, a call was given to the Rev. John Storrs of Williman- 
tic, who accepted and labored one year. During 1835 and 
1836 the pulpit was supplied for the most part by the Rev. 
Spencer Beard, but in 1837 a call was extended to the Rev. 
Stephen Crosby, but owing to a period of financial depres- 
sion the installation was deferred and his death oc- 
curred before it was effected. Next came Rev. A. L. 
Whitman, who remained until 1846. For ten years the 
spiritual affairs of the village were in the able and faithful 
hands of the Rev. C. P. Bush, whose daughter is endeared 
to us through our missionary aid to her work in India. At 
the close of his labors in 1856, Rev. Robert P. Stanton was 
called, and his pastorate of twenty-three years is the longest 
in the history of the church. It was a period marked by 
great material and spiritual prosperity, the church building 
being enlarged in 1867, and the present pipe organ provided 
in 1876. 

Mr. Stanton closed his labors in the year 1880, and the 
same year marked the installation of the Rev. Andrew J. 
Sullivan. In 1888, the Rev. Thomas Simms entered on his 
work as pastor, which he faithfully carried on till 1892, 
the year in which the Rev. Lewis Barney accepted the 
pastorate. During Mr. Barney's term of service extensive 
repairs were made iipon the church property at a consider- 
able cost. 

The present pastorate began in 1897 and is the second 
longest in the history of the church. During this time be- 
tween four and five thousand dollars have been raised 



194 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

toward the liquidation of our church debt, the parsonage 
has been improved, and the church and ecclesiastical society 
have been legally consolidated. The early records contain 
such names as Samuel Morey, Oliver Woodworth, Benjamin 
Durfey, William H. Coit, William P. Greene, Nathan P. 
Avery, Rufus Sibley, David Torrance, and others who have 
shown that the ministry of this church has not been in vain 
in the production of men of character. 

During these seventy-six years of history, our com- 
munity has been signally blessed of God, and still this period 
has been marked by many serious events which, to our 
imperfect understanding, are regarded as calamities. 

The most serious blow that ever came to our Sunday 
school, by way of the loss of life, was on April 13, 1844, 
when four young lads met a terrible death by the explosion 
of a powder magazine near the corner of Boswell avenue and 
the present Hickory street. If one were to enumerate those 
who have lost their lives or were seriously injured in these 
factories, the list would be a long one, containing the names 
of some of our leading families. Notwithstanding all this, 
as a church and as a community, we have abundant reason 
for thanking God for his "loving kindness and tender 
mercy." If we are grateful for the past, the reasons are 
strong why we should enter heartily into the 250th anni- 
versary celebration of our town. 

At the Taftville Congregational Church, Sunday morn- 
ing, Rev. Donald B. MacLane, pastor, gave an address on 
"Indian, English and Bible Names," saying, in part, as 
follows : 

I. Indian Names. There are many Indian names in 
the vicinity, and this fact shows that the land was once the 
home of the Indians. 

Our three rivers are the Yantic, the Shetucket and the 
Quinebaug — all Indian names. 

Then there is Wauregan and Mohegan and Occum, 
and Mystic and Niantic, and Narragansett and Connecticut. 
In Taftville we have the Wequonnoc school and the 
Ponemah mill. 



SERMONS. 195 

Mr. Mac Lane went on to show how not only around 
Norwich but all over the country the land is full of Indian 
names. Lakes and rivers and cities and states — almost 
half the states bear Indian names. 

The Indians have disappeared, but their beautiful, 
picturesque names will stand forever a monument to their 
memory. And every Indian name reminds us that our 
land was first the home of the Indians. 

II. English Names. One finds many English names, 
too. And every English name reminds us that the first 
w^hite settlers of our land came from England. 

So we have Norwich, named after Norwich in England; 
the Thames and New London, named after the old Thames 
and the old London in England. 

In the state of Connecticut, east of the Connecticut 
river, all the following towns are named after places in 
England ; Norwich, New London, Colchester, Preston, 
Andover, Bolton, Coventry, Mansfield, Staft'ord, Willington, 
Ashford, Canterbury, Hampton, Woodstock, Enfield, East 
W^indsor, Manchester, Glastonbury, Marlborough, Portland, 
Chatham. 

And if we looked further afield through the country at 
large we would find the same thing true ; thousands of 
places in the United States bear second-hand names bor- 
rowed from England. 

Our land indeed is a New England ; England is the great 
mother country of America. A Yankee is an Englishman 
after all, for the Indians tried to say "English" when the 
white men came, and the nearest they could get to it was 
"Yankee." So the word "Yankee" is an Indian corruption 
of the word "English." And the land of America is a first 
cousin of the land of England. 

The United States always has been and always will be 
predominately English in language, in government, in civ- 
ilization and in character. The red rose is the national 
flower of old England. And our city of Norwich is the 
Rose of New England. 



196 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

III. Bible Names. There are many places in the 
neighborhood that bear Bible names. For example, a fev/ 
miles north and west of Norwich we find Lebanon and 
Goshen and Salem, Bozrah and Hebron and Gilead — all 
Bible names. 

And if we looked further afield we would find enough 
Bible names in our country to make us think it was a New 
Palestine. 

But Bible names were given to people even more than 
to places. I made a careful study of the tombstones in the 
old Norwich Town cemetery, and I found all these curious 
names: Zabdiel, Abiel, Ezekiel, Jabez, Jerusha, Hezekiah, 
Zerviah, Asa, Bela, Phila, Jedidiah, Azariah, Zephaniah, 
Eliphalet, Ebenezer, Epaphras, Eleazer, Phineas, Zilpah. 

Then, too, I found that many of the ladies in those old 
days bore names of Christian virtues. For example, I found 
in the Norwich Town cemetery : Patience, Prudence. Con- 
sider, Mercy, Thankfull, AA^ealthy, Civil, Desire, Patia, 
Temperance. 

These names seem barbarous to us, but they seemed 
beautiful to them. For they were all Bible names. People 
loved their Bible in those days. They searched the 
scriptures diligently. They delighted in God's Holy Word. 
They were Pilgrims. And so they delighted to name their 
children after the names of God's people of old. 

It is a glory and a boast for our country that its 
founders were a religious, Christian, God-fearing people. 
And if America is the best of lands to-day it is in large 
measure due to the fact that it was founded and established 
by a pious folk. 

May our country prize and cherish the precious heritage 
of religion bequeathed to us by our Pilgrim fore-fathers. 

At Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, Sunday morn- 
ing. Rev. Dr. M. S. Kaufman preached on "Methodism's 
Contribution to the Higher Life of Norwich." from the text 
Acts 17:6, and said: 

What Christianity was to the apostolic age Methodism 
has been in large measure to modern times. The Wesleys 



SERMONS. 197 

and their coadjutors were great disturbers. So radical 
were they in their opposition to the deadening formal- 
ities and the ruinous vices of the eighteenth century 
that the doors of the established church were shut against 
them. There was nothing left for them to do, as conscien- 
tious men, but to make their appeal to the common people 
and to God. This they did with telling effect. While 
Methodism flourished in other parts of this new continent, 
New England regarded it as an intruder. But God knew 
what was best for this highly favored part of the country bet- 
ter than the early settlers knew. Hence He granted them the 
rich blessings which Methodism came to bestow and in spite 
of much opposition this branch of Christ's church made for 
itself a place of power. Through its evangelistic spirit and 
frequent revivals it gathered multitudes of converts — many 
of whom found their way into sister denominations to be 
among their best workers and brightest jewels, both in 
pulpit and pew. To my thought it is one of the highest 
honors ever won by our beloved church, that it has been 
able, under divine inspiration, to do so much toward helping 
to build up other religious communions. This has been its 
record in every city of New England. In so far as I can 
ascertain here in Norwich it has never been favored with 
any considerable number of wealthy people. But it has been 
greatly honored in having been entrusted with those finer 
forces of life — the intellectual and ethical and spiritual 
forces. Its chief contributions to the good name and worthy 
character of Norwich have been to its higher life. 

The preacher then traced the origin and in brief the his- 
tory of the Methodist church at Norwich Town — mother of 
all the others — the first church at the landing, which was 
finally carried off down the river in a terrific storm — the 
Sachem street, East Main, Greeneville, Central and Trinity. 
For many years there were five Methodist churches 
here — manned by faithful, godly, useful ministers, who 
preached with power the glorious doctrines. Revivals were 
frequent. Our pulpits have always stood for evangelical 
truth and experience — for piety, deep, genuine, practical. 



198 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

They have thundered against error, against low and degrad- 
ing practices and all forms of demoralizing amusement, 
against human slavery and the shameful ravages of intem- 
perance. Their unswerving fealty to high Biblical stand- 
ards aided in toning up the moral and spiritual ideals of the 
town. Through their Sunday schools and young people's 
organizations, their love feasts, class meetings and prayer 
meetings and family worship they mightily impressed for 
noble character the children and youth of their homes. 
From all that has been thus far pointed out it is evident that 
Methodism has made large and valuable contributions to 
the higher life of this town. Let us remember that the 
greater the blessings bestowed upon us by our Methodist 
ancestors, the heavier is the responsibility resting upon us to 
hand down to our successors not only unimpaired but 
enhanced in value our splendid heritage. 



LETTERS FROM ABSENTEES. 

Among the ' replies from absent sons and daughters 
received by the Committee on Invitations the following 
were printed in the Norwich Bulletin : 

Washington, D. C. 
Mr. William H. Shields, Norwich, Conn. : 

Dear Sir: — Being a native of Norwich, and too feeble 
to attend the coming celebration, I respectfully solicit one 
of the beautifully illustrated invitations of the 250th anni- 
versary of Norwich Town, the dearest spot on earth to me, 
which I wish to have framed and hung beside a picture of 
my mother, 

I was born at Bean Hill, June 26, 1823. My parents 
were Capt, Thomas D, Winship and Philas Yale Winship, 
his wife. 

In my childhood I used to visit my father's aunt, Mrs. 
Barrett, who lived aside from the main road to Bean Hill, 
Adjoining their home was a field where I romped and 
played. A lone grave was there and I used to visit it with 



LETTERS. 



199 



childish sympathy as aunt told me "A man was buried there 
years ago." I thought he was without friends or home or 
he would have been buried in the cemetery, and it was not 
until I heard a memorial was to be placed there did I know 
it was the grave of the heroic John Mason, who fought in 
the first war of the colonies. All honor to the patriotic 
citizens of Norwich for commemorating his memory. I 
would like to lay a fresh garland of flowers on his monu- 
ment in m.y eight3^-seventh year, as I did on his lone grave 
in childhood, if I could be there. 

Hoping the weather will be propitious and the celebra- 
tion a success, 

I am yours respectfully, 

Mrs. Sarah F, Woodworth, 
506 Rhode Island Avenue. 

San Francisco, Cal., June 16, 1909. 
Mr. William H. Shields, Chairman of the Invitation Com- 
mittee, Norwich, Conn. : 

My Dear Sir: — I am in receipt of your invitation to 
attend on the 5th and 6th proximo the 250th anniversary 
of the founding of the town of Norwich and the 125th of 
the incorporation of the city. In reply I will say that I 
regret exceedingly that I will be unable to be present on 
this occasion, as it would certainly give me great pleasure 
to be present. 

Having spent my young boyhood days in and about 
Norwich, I have and always will have a kind feeling in 
my heart for the old town, and while I have been all over 
the continent and in other countries as well I have as yet 
never met a place that I have the same kind feeling for 
that I have for Norwich. 

Trusting that you may have a successful gathering 
upon this occasion, I am, 

Very sincerely yours, 

T. F. Farley. 



200 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Portland, Oregon, 
"The Rose City o£ the West." 

June 15, 1909. 
William H. Shields, Chairman of Invitation Committee, 
Norwich, Conn. : 

Dear Mr. Shields : — Acknowledging receipt of your 
city's invitation to be present at the 125th anniversary of 
the incorporation of the city of Norwich, permit me to most 
gratefully thank you for the kind remembrance that once, 
in the long, dreamy past, it was my pleasure to call your 
beautiful city my home. 

The engraving upon your invitation awakens pleasant 
memories of childhood, as when 

"Lulled in the countless chambers of the brain, 
Our thoughts are linked by many a hidden chain ; 
Awake but one and lo! what myriads rise. 
Each stamps his image as the other flies." 
The beautiful engraving appeals to memory so strongly 
that it seems but yesterday that, together with dear old 
"cronies," we were swimming in the river and hunting for 
pigeons in the old wooden railroad bridge that crossed the 
river to the West Side; and with Longfellow I can feel- 
ingly say: 

"How often, oh, how often, 
In the days that have gone by, 
Have I stood on that bridge," etc. 
But that was forty years ago, and many old school- 
mates and friends have looked their last upon the "chang- 
ing seasons," yet in memory's casket friendship's jewels 
still reflect the splendors of long ago. 

There is one tie that binds me to your beautiful city 
that is sacred above all others; it is the one connecting 
link — the only surviving member of our family — my own 
dear sister, who has been a resident there for over forty 
years. Is it any wonder, then, that Norwich is so dearly 
remembered? 

Permit me to wish you a most enjoyable reunion and 
to express again most feelingly my admiration for the 
artistic engraving on the invitation that has awakened 



LETTERS. 201 

such a liood of pleasant memories of the almost forgotten 
past. 

Here's to the Rose of New England. 
May her sweetness perfume the lives of her children ! 
Very sincerely yours, 

E. L. E. White. 

Rotterdam, Holland, 

June 25, 1909. 
Hon. William H. Shields, Chairman of Invitation Com- 
mittee, Norwich, Conn. 

Dear Sir : — It is with much pleasure that I acknowl- 
edge, though tardily, the receipt from you of the hand- 
some invitation card presenting me on behalf of the 
citizens of old Norwich with the freedom of their city next 
month ; and it is with much greater regret that I realize 
the impossibility of my being with you all. I use the pro- 
noun their in this connection, but although not a resident 
of the old place for many years I feel, whether rightly or 
wrongly, that I have an equal ownership with its citizens. 

Although I immigrated over twenty-eight years ago, I 
find that with me "absence makes the heart grow fonder," 
and the hills, woods and rivers of the old town, with its 
green, and its ancient houses, and the newer part with its 
attractive streets and residences, appear in my recollection 
more and more beautiful with each passing year. 

The thought just now occurs to me, do those of you 
who have "staid by" the old town fully appreciate its beau- 
ty? How often do you look into the old burying ground 
at Norwich Town, climb Meeting House Rocks or wander 
along the little Yantic? But the prodigal son will remember 
all such spots and on his return will, like Stedman looking 
for his brook, search out his old haunts. 

So here's to the Rose which has never faded ; may her 
beauty and fragrance never grow less and many happy 
returns of the day for her. 

Yours very truly, 

Chas. N. Almy. 



202 NORWICH QUARTER MILLENNIUM. 

Robert College, Constantinople, Turkey, 

June 21, 1909. 
Mr. William H, Shields, Norwich, Conn. : 

Your kind invitation to visit Norwich at the celebra- 
tion of its 250th anniversary has just reached me. Nothing 
could give me greater pleasure, but distance forbids. 

I cannot, however, help writing a word to express my 
love for the dear old town, and my thankfulness that it was 
the home of my childhood. I love to recall the Meeting 
House Rocks, up town, and other rocky ridges over which 
we boys used to roam with endless pleasure. And when 
in later years I have revisited the old home I have often 
asked myself: "Is any other town quite equal to Norwich, 
in its combination of picturesque variety of scenery with 
shaded streets and charming homes?" 

Above all it is a joy to think how many people have 
dwelt here who were worthy of such a home — men and 
women of thought, of honor, of refinement, of patriotism, 
of practical Christian character. Whatever may be true in 
other lands, I am sure that in America the best, most char- 
acteristic life of the nation is to be found, not in the great 
cities so much as in the smaller towns. As a lover of my 
country I should be willing to have any cultured foreigner 
visit Norwich and form his opinion of America from that 
town. 

In the new century upon which we have entered, may the 
sons and daughters of Norwich realize that no town can 
live upon its past; and that the way to keep its laurels 
green is for all to observe the Christian precept, "By love, 
serve one another." 

Ver}^ truly yours, 

Henry S. Huntington. 

Durango, Colorado. 
Hon. William H. Shields, Chairman of the Invitation Com- 
mittee, Norwich, Conn.: 
Dear Judge: — I have the honor to acknowledge the 
receipt of the invitation to come home and join in the cele- 



LETTERS. 203 

jration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of Norwich 
and the 125th anniversary of the incorporation of the city 
of Norwich. 

I have delayed this acknowledgment, hoping that it 
would be possible for my family (my wife and daughter) 
and myself to accept the invitation and be present in person, 
:>ut fate and over 2,500 miles distance prevent, and we must 
be content to be present in spirit only. I remember very 
well the 1859 celebration and was on the float of The 
Norwich Bulletin, in the procession, making myself useful, 
and afterwards partook of the good things in the large tent 
on the lot west of the Norwich Free Academy. As a boy 
of 13 years, with red blood in his veins, I did not miss 
;:u:ch, and I have a very fair recollection of what occurred. 

Yours very truly, 

Richard M'Cloud. 



NOTES 

ON 

Persons and Places 

IN THE 

ANCIENT TOWN OF NORWICH 

IN 

CONNECTICUT. 

Prepared for the 

Two hundred and fiftieth 

Anniversary of the Town, and of the City 

The One Hundred and Twenty-fifth, 

July 4th, 5th and 6th, 

1909. 

The Committee on History, in compiling these notes, 
acknowledge their obligations to Miss Caulkins's "History 
of Norwich," Miss Perkins's "Old Houses of Norwich," and 
to Stedman's History of the Bi-centennial Celebration, to 
which those desiring further information are referred. 

The Committee greatly regret that their work is not 
free from errors. They regret still more that because of 
limited space and lack of time for preparation, many note- 
worthy names do not appear in these pages. 

The Founders of Norwich. 

[The numbers correspond with numbers on markers in localities referred to.] 

1 DEACON THOMAS ADGATE. 1659. Born about 
1620; died 1707. One of those appointed to "dignify 
the pues." His house was on north end of Low- 
thorpe Meadows. 

^.^^^ 2 ROBERT ALLYN. 1659. "First constable in the 
Town." Died 1683, at Allyn's Point. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 205 

3 WM. BACKUS. 1659. Died soon after the settlement. 

His home-lot was next north of Thomas Bliss from 
Washington street to the river. Father of Stephen 
Backus. 

4 LIEUT. WM. BACKUS, JR. 1659. He styled him- 

self "yeoman," but was known successively as ser- 
geant, ensign and lieutenant. 

5 JOHN BALDWIN. 1659. Constable in 1696. Ances- 

tor of Judge Simeon E. Baldwin, of New Haven. 
Home-lot on West Town street near the river. 

6 DEACON THOMAS BINGHAM. 1659. Born 1642 ; 

died 1730. Home-lot on West Town street above 
Thomas Waterman and extending to the river. 

7 JOHN BIRCHARD. 1659. Born 1628; died 1702. 

First schoolmaster. Home-lot on West Town street 
opposite Samuel and William Hyde. 

8 THOMAS BLISS. 1659. Died 1688. Home-lot on 

Washington street adjoining John Reynolds. His 
house is still standing. 

9 MORGAN BOWERS. 1659. Home-lot on West 

Town street adjoining John Post. 

10 JOHN BRADFORD. 1659. Son of Governor Brad- 

ford, of Plymouth. Townsman in 1671. Home-lot 
on East Town street west of Huntington lane. 

11 DEACON HUGH CAULKINS. 1659 Born 1600; 

died 1690; one of the most useful men of his time. 
Home-lot on West Town street. 

12 JOHN CAULKINS. 1659. Born 1634; died 1703. 

Active in town affairs. Home-lot on West Town 
street. 

13 RICHARD EDGERTON. 1659. Died in 1692. 

Townsman and constable. 



206 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES 

14 REV. JAMES FITCH. 1659. Born 1622; died 1702. 

First pastor of First Church in Norwich ; held the 
office fifty-six years. Called by Cotton Mather, "the 
holy, acute and learned Mr. Fitch." Home-lot from 
Simon Huntington to the river. 

15 JOHN GAGER. 1659. Died 1703. Constable in 1674 

and 1688. He was son of William Gager, "a. right 
godly man and skillful chyrurgeon." 

16 LIEUT. FRANCIS GRISWOLD. 1659. Born 1622; 

died 1671. Represented the town in the General 
Court in eleven sessions. Home-lot on AA'est Town 
street. 

17 CHRISTOPHER HUNTINGTON. 1659. First 

townsman. Died 1691. One of the most useful of 
the pioneers. Home-lot on AVashington street cor- 
ner of East Town street. 

18 DEACON SIMON HUNTINGTON. 1659. Born 

1629; died 1706. Townsman in 1690 and 1696. Home- 
lot on south side of East Town street west of Lieut. 
Thomas Tracy. 

19 SAMUEL HYDE. 1659. Died 1677. Home-lot on 

north side of West Town street above the rocks. 

20 WM. HYDE. 1659. Died 1682. Townsman in 1673 

and 1679. Home-lot on West Town street. 

21 THOMAS HOWARD. 1659. Slain at the Narragan- 

sett fort fight in 1675. Home-lot on north side of 
West Town street below Bean Hill church. 

22 LIEUT. THOMAS LEFFINGWELL. Born about 

1622; died after 1714. Home-lot located on the cor- 
ner of the present Washington street and Harland 
road. House occupied by D. M. Torosian in 1909. 
Leffingwell w-as famous for bringing relief to Uncas 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 207 

when he was besieg-ed by the Narragansetts. Repre- 
sented the town in tifty-six sessions of the General 
Court. 

23 MAJOR JOHN MASON. 1659. Born in England; 

died in Norwich 1672. Deputy Governor of Colony 
of Connecticut. Distinguished among the Founders 
of Norwich. In his hand the sword of the Lord was 
mighty against the savage Pequots. Firm friend of 
Uncas and the Mohegans. Valiant soldier; wise 
counsellor. Home-lot corner of Town street and 
New London turnpike. 

24 DR. JOHN OLMSTEAD. 1659. Born about 1626; 

died 1686. The first doctor in the town. Home-lot 
where the Gilman family live, at 380 Washington 
street. 

25 JOHN PEASE. 1659. "A sea faring man." Home- 

lot the last on West Town street at the river cross- 
ing. 

26 JOHN POST. 1659. Born 1626; died 1710. Home- 

lot on A^'est Town street next above Thomas Bing- 
ham. 

27 THOMAS POST. 1659. Died 1701. Constable. 

Home-lot on West Town street adjoining John 
Gager. 

28 JOSIAH READ. 1659. Died 1717. Constable. 

Home-lot on Washington street east of the Coit 
Elms. 

29 JOHN REYNOLDS. 1659. Died 1702. His dwell- 

ing, on Washington street, is one of the oldest in 
Norwich. Home-lot included Backus Hospital 
grounds. 

30 JONATHAN ROYCE. 1659. Died 1689. Home-lot 

on West Town street between Allyn and J. Tracy. 



208 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES 

31 REV. NEHEMIAH SMITH. 1659 Born about 1605 ; 

died 1686, Home-lot on West Town street north 
side opposite T. Post. 

32 SERGEANT JOHN TRACY. 1659. Died 1702. 

Home-lot on south side of West Town street between 
John Baldwin and John Pease. 

33 LIEUT. THOMAS TRACY. 1659. Born about 

1610; died 1685, Home-lot on East Town street ad- 
joining Christopher Huntington. One of the most 
distinguished of the Founders of Norwich. He and 
John Mason were witnesses of the deed of Unkos, 
Owaneco, and Attawanhood granting nine miles 
square to the inhabitants of Norwich, for the sum of 
seventy pounds. First representative to the General 
Court. 

34 ROBERT WADE. 1659. Date of birth and death 

unknown. Home-lot south side of West Town street 
between John Birchard and John Gager. 

35 SERGEANT THOMAS WATERMAN. 1659. Born 

1644; died 1708. Home-lot on West Town street ad- 
joining John Mason. Youngest of the Founders, 
sixteen years of age. He represented the town in the 
General Court in 1679. 



Other Early Settlers. 

36 CALEB ABELL. Died Aug. 7, 1731. Three of this 
name are found at an early period among the inhabi- 
tants of Norwich — Caleb, Benjamin and Joshua. 
Caleb married in July, 1669, Margaret, daughter of 
John Post. Robert Wade transferred to Caleb Abell 
his house lot. Town street. It was located between 
John Birchard and Morgan Bowers. He was chosen 
constable 1684; townsman 1689; appointed to keep 
tavern in 1694. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 209 

Gen. Elijah Abell, a gallant officer in the Revolu- 
tionary War, born in Norwich, was a descendant of 
Caleb Abell. 

37 RICHARD BUSHNELL. Was born September, 

1652 ; died 1727. Came to Norwich with his step- 
father, Thomas Adgate. Married in 1672, Elizabeth 
Adgate. In the earlier part of the eighteenth century, 
Richard Bushnell was one of the most noted and 
active men in Norwich. He performed the duties of 
townsman, constable, schoolmaster, poet, deacon, 
sergeant, lieutenant and captain, town agent, town 
deputy, court clerk, and justice of the peace. His 
dwelling was on the Montville road a mile south of 
the city. 

38 SAMUEL LATHROP. Died Feb. 29, 1700. Was 

son of Rev. John Lathrop, of London ; came with his 
father to America in 1634 when about fourteen years 
of age. He married at Barnstable, Mass., Nov. 28, 
1644, Elizabeth Scudder. He was a house carpenter, 
and came to Norwich in 1668. He had nine children 
by his first wife. His second wife, Abigail Doane, 
survived him and lived to the age of 103 years. 

39 JOHN ELDERKIN. Died June 23, 1687. Elderkin's 

earliest grant at Norwich was in 1667, and was con- 
veyed in 1668 to Samuel Lathrop. The next was at 
the old landing place below the Falls, where he built 
a grist-mill for the convenience of the town. Here 
for a long course of years stood the mill and the 
miller's house. Elderkin built the second meeting- 
house for the town. Of his first wife nothing is 
known. His second wife was Elizabeth, relict of 
William Gaylord, of Windsor. 

40 STEPHEN GIFFORD. Born about 1641 ; died 1724. 

He was an early settler and is classed as a proprietor 
by Miss Caulkins. Constable in 1686. His home-lot 



210 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES 

extended from Mediterranean lane to the chapel of 
First Congregational church. t 

41 CHRISTOPHER HUNTINGTON, JUNIOR. Born 

1660; died 1735. "The first born of males in Nor- 
wich." Son of Christopher Huntington the Founder. 
A man of the highest character, and a prominent 
contributor to the prosperity of the most vital inter- 
ests of the town. For near forty years he "used the 
office of a deacon well." Town Clerk 1678 to 1691. 

42 ELIZABETH HYDE. Born August, 1660; died at 

Lyme, 1736. Daughter of Samuel and Jane (Lee) 
Hyde, the first child of English parentage born in 
Norwich. Married, in 1682, Richard Lord, of Lyme. ■ 

43 COL. CHRISTOPHER LEFFINGWELL. Born 

1734; died 1810. Pioneer paper manufacturer. Sol- 
dier and patriot in the Revolution. Prominent citi- 
zen. 

44 MAJOR JAMES FITCH. James Fitch, Jr., was born 

in Saybrook, 1647; ^^^^ 1727; married (i) 1676, 
Elizabeth Mason, married (2) 1687, Mrs. Alice (Brad- 
ford) Adams. During his residence in Norwich "he 
took a leading part in all town affairs, and served as 
land-surveyor, registrar, captain of the train-band, 
and commissioner of boundaries." In i698-'99 he 
sold his house and home-lot to Samuel and Simon 
Huntington, and later made his home in Canterbury. 
His home-lot was on the east side of the town Green, 
and his house probably stood south and near to the 
present residence of Wallace S. Allis. 



Other Prominent Men of Early Times. 

45 GOVERNOR SAMUEL HUNTINGTON, LL. D. 

Born 1731 ; died 1796. Representative in Legislature 
1764 and Senator 1773; Associate Judge Supreme 



NOTES OX PERSONS AND PLACES 211 

Court of Connecticut 1774; member of Congress 
1775-1780; member of the Marine Court; signer of 
the Declaration of Independence; President of Con- 
gress 1779-1781 and 1783; Chief Justice of Connecti- 
cut 1784; Lieutenant-Governor 1785 ; Doctor of Laws, 
Yale College, 1779; Governor 1786- '96. 

46 BENJAMIN HUNTINGTON, LL. D. Born 1736; 

died Oct. 16, 1800. Graduated at Yale 1761 ; mar- 
ried, daughter of Col. Jabez Huntington, of Wind- 
ham ; State Counsellor during Revolutionary War ; 
director of battery built on Waterman's Point 1775; 
agent of colony to purchase the "Spy," bought to 
watch British ; superintended building of the "De- 
fence" 14 gun brig, 1776; representative from Nor- 
wich 1775; member Continental Congress 1784 and 
of Constitutional Congress 1789; Judge Superior 
Court 1793; LL.B. from Dartmouth College 1782; 
moved to Rome, N. Y., 1796. His body was brought 
to Norwich for burial. First Ad^ayor of Norwich, 
1784 to 1796. 

47 BENEDICT ARNOLD. Born, Norwich, 1741 ; died 

in London, 1801. General in the Revolutionary army. 
Distinguished for his heroism at Quebec, Lake 
Champlain, Ridgefield, and Saratoga. Detested for 
his treason and for the burning of New London. The 
house where he was born, on east side of Washington 
street, below LaFayette street, was destroyed sixty 
years ago. 

48 AARON CLEVELAND. The Aaron Cleveland house 

is now standing on West Town street at Bean hill 
next below the Meeting-house. Here Aaron "carried 
on" the hat business, and at the same time wrote 
poems, essays, lectures, and sermons upon all sub- 
jects of the day, social, political and religious. Aaron 
was great-grandfather of Grover Cleveland (see No. 
78). 



212 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

49 WILLIAM CLEVELAND. Died in 1837. Rev. Ben- 

jamin Lord purchased the Mason home lot and erect- 
ed a house on the site, next to the Johnson home. 
This was his residence. This property was held by 
the Lord heirs until 1830, when it was sold to Wil- 
liam Cleveland, grand-father of the President. Wil- 
liam built a shop east of the house where he carried 
on the business of a gold or silversmith. This dwell- 
ing house was burned in 1852 (see No. 79). 

50 DR. PHILIP TURNER. Born in Norwich 1740; died 

in New York in 1815 and was buried in St. Paul's 
church yard. Surgeon-general in the Revolutionary 
army. He was highly distinguished for his profes- 
sional skill. 

51 JOSEPH TRUMBULL. The eldest son of Governor 

Trumbull, and the first Commissary General Conti- 
nental Army. In 1778 bought the property between 
the present residence of A. W. Dickey and the house 
of Mrs. Kelley. 

52 DIAH MANNING, 1760-1815. Drum-major of Wash- 

ington's Body Guard. He carried to Major Andre 
his breakfast, on the day of his execution, bringing 
it from the table of General Washington. House on 
Town street, corner Old Cemetery lane. 

53 REV. BENJAMIN LORD, D.D. He was born at 

Saybrook, Conn., in 1694, and died at Norwich in 
1784. For sixty-seven years pastor of the First 
Church in Norwich. He was graduated at Yale in 
1714 and received the degree of D.D. in 1774. 

54 DR. SOLOMON TRACY. Born in 1650; died in 1732. 

He was a youth at the settlement of the town. In 
addition to the duties of his profession he served the 
town as representative in the General Assembly and 
as lieutenant in the train-band. 



NOTES ON PHRSONS AND PLACES. 213 

55 MADAM KNIGHT (Mrs. Sarah Kemble Knight). 

\\ as born in Boston in 1666 and died in Xew London 
in 1727. The greater part of her Hfe was spent in 
Xew London and Norwich, where she stood high in 
social rank and was respected both in church and 
civil affairs. In 1717 the town of Xorwicli granted 
her hberty "to sitt in the pne where she use to sitt in 
ye meeting-house." A silver tankard which she pre- 
sented to the church is still preserved. She was re- 
markable for her versatile gifts and is remembered 
by her journal of a journey alone on horseback, from 
Boston to Xew York, in 1704. 

56 GENERAL ANDREW HUNTINGTON. Born 1745; 

died 1824. John Elderkin sold land on East Town 
street to Samuel Lothrop, who built a house upon it 
soon after 1668. Portions of his house were ]:»robably 
incorporated in the present building now owned by 
Mr. Fitch which was constructed about 1740, by 
Joshua Huntington (1698-1745). See Xo. 61. Com- 
missary General, judge and merchant. Livefl in this 
house from 1766 until his death. 

57 SIMON HUNTINGTON, JUNIOR. Born 1659; died 

1736. In i688-'89 Simon Huntington, the proprietor, 
granted land on East Town street to his son, Simon, 
who held many civil offices, was deacon of the church 
from 1696 to 1736, and in 1706 opened "a house of 
public entertainment." Captain Joseph Carew prob- 
ably used parts of the house built by Simon Hunt- 
ington, Jr., when he constructed in i782-'83 the house 
now occupied by Mr. Kelly. Joseph and Eunice 
Carew Huntington and their children occupied this 
house until 1854. 

58 HON. JABEZ W. HUNTINGTON. I'.orn 1788; died 

1847. United States Senator from 1840 to 1847, lived 
in the Simon Huntington house (see Xo. 57) after 
his marriage in 1833 to a daughter of Joseph Hunt- 



214 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES 

ington. "A statesman of unbending integrity and 
unswerving fidelity to the interests of the Union." 

59 GENERAL JEDIDIAH HUNTINGTON. Born 

1743; died 1818. Fought at Bunker Hill and in many 
of the most important battles of the Revolution. He 
entertained both Washington and Lafayette in the 
house on the corner of East Town street and Hunt- 
ington lane. He married in 1766 Faith Trumbull, the 
daughter of the famous war governor. After the war 
he held many important positions and in 1789 was 
appointed collector of customs at New London and 
held the ofifice until his death. 

60 GENERAL EBENEZER HUNTINGTON. Born 

1754; died 1834. Was the half brother of Jedi- 
diah. After Jedidiah removed to New Lon- 
don his house was occupied by Ebenezer. He left 
Yale College when the war commenced and served 
until the troops were disbanded in 1783. In 1810 and 
in 181 7 he was elected a member of Congress. Major 
General, Conn, militia, over thirty years. His four 
unmarried daughters were "the Ladies Huntington." 

61 COLONEL JOSHUA HUNTINGTON. Born 1751 ; 

died 1821. Married in 1771 Hannah, daughter of Col. 
Hezekiah Huntington. He was in business at the 
Landing, but at the call to arms he followed his 
brothers in giving himself to the service of his coun- 
try. He was high sheriff of New London county 
and had charge of the first United States census 
(1790) in this region. He lived in the house on 
Huntington lane now owned by Mrs. Theodore F. 
McCurdy. 

62 GENERAL JABEZ HUNTINGTON.. Born 1719; 

died 1786. Graduated at Yale College 1741. "The 
house in the lane" is to-day practically unaltered from 
its condition when it was occupied by General Jabez 



I 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 21 5 

Huntington, who as the head of the Connecticut 
troops did much for American freedom. It surely in- 
chides a portion or the whole of the house of his father, 
the first Joshua Huntington, and may include the house 
built by the founder. John Bradford. General Jabez 
Huntington was the father of Jedidiah, Andrew, 
Joshua, Ebenezer and Zachariah. "If the annals of the 
Revolution record the name of any family that con- 
tributed more to that great struggle, I have yet to learn 
it." 

63 COLONEL JOHN DURKEE. Born in Windham 
1728; died May 29, 1782. Leader of 500 men who 
compelled Ingersoll to resign the office of stamp mas- 
ter for Connecticut. Colonel at Long Island, Harlem, 
White Plains, Trenton and Monmouth. He was in 
Sullivan's Indian expedition. Durkee's tavern at 
Bean hill was "opposite the home-lot of Mr. Samuel 
Abell." He was known as "the Bold Bean Hiller." 



Meeting Houses and Burying Grounds. 

64 The first meeting-house stood near the southeast cor- 

ner of the Green "with the open Common around it." 
Of its erection there is no record. It was probably 
built by a "general turn-out of the inhabitants." In 
1668 a small rate was collected to pay Samuel 
Lathrop "for repairing the Meeting-house." It was 
in use only twelve or fourteen years. Opposite 
present Norwich Town postoffice. 

65 In 1673 the town contracted with John Elderkin to build 

"forthwith a new meeting-house." The building com- 
mittee were Deacon Hugh Calkins. Ensign Thomas 
Leffingwell, Ensign Thomas Tracy, Simon Hunting- 
ton and W'illiam Backus. It was completed in two 
years. Elderkin contracted to build it for £428. 
This building was repaired and a "leanto" added, in 



2l6 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

which several new pews were made. These improve- 
ments being completed in March, 1698, five of the 
oldest and most respected inhabitants were directed 
"to seat the people with due regard to rank." The 
site of this second meeting-house was on the summit 
of the hill. It was to serve as a watch-tower, and a 
garrison post, as well as a house of worship. 

66 December 6, 1709, a vote was passed to build a third 

meeting-house, the dimensions not to exceed 55 feet 
by 45, to be modeled by a committee of the church, 
and completed by March i, 1712. This building was 
on the rocks near the site of the second meeting- 
house. John Elderkin, 2d, son of the old church 
builder, was the architect. It was completed in De- 
cember, 1713. A vote was passed to sell the old 
edifice, which had lasted forty years. 

67 The site of the fourth meeting-house was at the corner 

of the Green, under the rocks, where the present 
church stands. It is said to have been a "squar build- 
ing, with a front porch or platform," with doors on 
three sides. It was voted for in 1748, but was not 
begun until 1753; it remained unfinished for several 
years. It was completed in 1770. On the 7th of 
February, 1801, it was destroyed by fire, with several 
other buildings. The present building, the fifth meet- 
ing-house, was built partly by subscription and partly 
by a lottery. 

68 POST-GAGER BURIAL GROUND, 1661. In 1661 

the town bought this land for a common burial-place. 
Many of the proprietors and early settlers were in- 
terred in this "regular oblong plot," 11 rods long and 
7 wide. The last interment was in 1740. In 1872 the 
present monument was erected to the memory of 
Major John Mason and the other proprietors. It is 
on West Town street, half a mile above the Up-town 
Green. No traces of graves remain. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 2\y 

69 ENTRANCE TO OLD BURYING GROUND, 1699. 

At Norwich Town through Old Cemetery lane near 
the corner of Town street (the River road), and the 
Up-town Green ; a portion of the home-lot of Rev. 
James Fitch. 

70 ENTRANCE TO THE OLD BURYING GROUND, 

1796. On East Town street, adjacent to the Governor 
Huntington house, through the Hubbard gates, in- 
scribed by Faith Trumbull Chapter, D. A. R., with 
names of soldiers of the Revolution buried within. A 
portion of the home-lot of Simon Huntington. 



Public Buildings- 

71 COURT HOUSE, 1762. In 1735 the first court house 

was erected on the south side of the parsonage lot. 
In 1762 a new one was built on the Careen near the 
present watering trough. This was moved across the 
street in 1798 near the present school, used until 1833 
when courts were moved to the landing, and then 
used as a school building until 1891. 

72 TOWN AND COURT HOUSE, 1829. Built on north 

side of Church street. IJurned April 11. 1865. 

73 JAIL, 1759. First jail was at southeast corner of Green. 

About 1759 a new one was built back of old brick 
schoolhouse. This was burned in 1786 and rebuilt 
and used until 1815. 

74 JAIL, 1815. A third location was chosen in 1815, when 

the Perit house on the opposite side of the Green was 
purchased for the county house, and a jail was built 
on the adjoining lot a short distance back of where 
the store now stands. This lasted until the courts 
were moved to the I^anding, in 1833. 

75 OFFICE OF TOWN CLERKS. The first Town Clerk 

was John Hirchard. We have no record of his ap- 



2l8 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES 

pointment. He was in office eighteen years. Chris- 
topher Huntington, appointed 1678, was in office until 
his death, 1691. Richard Bushnell, 1691, for seven 
years. Christopher Huntington, Jr., 1698, for four 
years. Richard Bushnell again in 1702, in office for 
twenty- four years. Isaac Huntington 1726, till his 
death, 1764. Benj. Huntington 1764, in office nearly 
two years. Benj. Huntington, son of Isaac, 1765, in 
office thirteen years. Samuel Tracy 1778, in office 
one year. Benj. Huntington, 1779, in office until his 
death, 1801. Philip Huntington 1801, until his death 
in 1825, and his son, Benjamin, born 1798, was in 
office nearly continuously until 1830. 

76 DUDLEY WOODBRIDGE'S STORE. Dudley Wood- 
bridge, in 1774, purchased of Ebenezer Lord his house 
and shop on the Green, north and next to where the 
present chapel stands. He sold goods of every de- 
scription, groceries, shoes, dress goods, hardware, etc. 
In 1782, the first post-office was established, in Nor- 
wich, Dudley Woodbridge was the first postmaster, 
and held the office until 1789. The mails had pre- 
viously been delivered by post riders. Mr. Wood- 
bridge removed to Ohio in 1789 or 1790. 

In 1790, Gurdon Lathrop occupied this store, as a 
general trader. In 1791, it was sold to Joseph Hunt- 
ington and he formed a partnership with Joseph 
Carew. After October, 1800, the business was car- 
ried on by the firm of Joseph and Charles P. Hunting- 
ton. On February 7th, 1801, this store and the meet- 
ing-house with several other buildings were burned. 
The Huntington Brothers moved their goods to the 
store "a few rods N. E. from the Court House." In 
August they moved to the large, new brick store, 
which they had had built on the site of the old Wood- 
bridge shop. This building is now the chapel of First 
Congregational Church. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 219 

77 TRACY & COIT'S STORE. About 1780, Uriah Tracy 

and Joseph Coit leased from Thomas Leffingwell 
land upon which they built a shop 50 x ^2, in which 
they carried on for many years an extensive business. 
It was a long gambrel-roofed one-story and half 
structure. Uriah Tracy bought in 1790 the Benedict 
Arnold house, where he lived until his death. Tracy 
& Coit's store was one of the representative stores of 
Xorwich. 

78 AARON CLEVELAND SHOP. This building for- 

merly stood the next but one below the meeting- 
house, Bean hill. It was the shop of Aaron Cleve- 
land in which he carried on the business of hat 
making. It was moved across the road and is now 
known as "Adam's Tavern." President Cleveland 
W'as his great-grandson (see Xo. 48). 

79 WILLIAM CLEVELAND SHOP. This building was 

the one used by William Cleveland as a goldsmith 
shop, 1830-1837. It stood between the schoolhouse 
and the Johnson home facing the Green (see No. 49). 

80 BRICK SCHOOL HOUSE. On Norwich Town Green. 

Founded by Doctor Daniel Lathrop in 1783. Now 
occupied by the Noah Webster Literary Associa- 
tion. 

81 BRICK SCHOOL HOUSE. On Washington street. 

Built in 1789. The first school attended by Lydia 
Huntley (Mrs. Sigourney). Now used by the School- 
house Club. 

82 LEFFINGWELL ROW. Sometimes called "the long 

shop," built by Christopher Lefifingwell about 1780, 
was burned in 1882 with the red store adjoining. Its 
position near the fork of the roads opposite the resi- 
dence of General Edward Harland made it a con- 
spicuous land mark. It was occupied at different 



220 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

times by Leffingwell's stocking factory, various small 
shops, by the Judge of Probate and by the post-office. 

83 THE TEEL HOUSE, "Sign of General Washington." 

Built for a hotel in 1789 on Chelsea Parade; after- 
wards occupied for a school by William Woodbridge, 
now the parsonage of Park church, for many years 
the residence of Gen. William Williams, who 
was distinguished for his benevolence and for 
his interest in the Mohegan Indians. He and his wife, 
Harriet Peck Williams, gave five acres now the 
grounds of the Norwich Free Academy, and she 
founded the Peck Library now in the Slater Memorial 
Building. He was born in 1788 and died in 1870. 

Early Industries. 

84 STOCKING WEAVING. The business of weaving 

stockings was begun in 1766 by Christopher Leffing- 
well with two or three looms. In 1791 nine looms 
were in operation producing 1,200 to 1,500 pairs of 
hose annually. 

85 GRIST MILL. A grist mill built by John Elderkin at 

No Man's Acre about 1661 ; was removed about 1667 
under agreement with the town, to the Yantic river 
below the Falls, and a large tract of land was granted 
to him as compensation in the vicinity of the Indian 
burying place on Sachem street. 

86 IRON WORKS. The first iron works were established 

at Yantic in 1750 by Elijah Backus. He manufac- 
tured bloom and bar iron for anchors, mills and other 
uses. The Backus Iron Works obtained great repute 
and during the Revolutionary War all kinds of iron 
work for domestic uses and warfare were made and 
repaired here. 

87 POTTERY. A pottery was established in 1766 at Bean 

Hill and continue! in operation far into the T9th cen- 



XOTES UX I'1:RS()\S AXl) I'l.ACES. 221 

tiiry. Specimens of this ])ottery are among- tlic treas- 
ured possessions of some of the old residents of Nor- 
wich. 

88 LINSEED OIL MILLS. The first hnseed oil mill was 

established at Bean Hill, in 1748, by Hezekiah Hunt- 
ington, and at a later period the manufacture was 
carried on extensivel}- at the Falls. 

89 COTTON MILL. A cotton mill was established by 

Joshua Lathrop in 1790 on Lowthorpe Meadows with 
one carding machine, five jennies and six looms. This 
machinery was gradually increased and a great va- 
riety of goods manufactured. In 1793 the firm was 
Lathrop & Eells. 

90 CHOCOLATE MILL. The first chocolate mill was es- 

tablished in 1770 by Christopher Lefifingwell on the 
Yantic flats below the Falls. In 1772 Simon Lathrop 
erected another. This industry was of considerable 
importance. 

91 PAPER MILL. In 1766 Christopher Lefifingwell began 

to manufacture paper at his mill on the west side of 
the Yantic above the brails, near what are now called 
Paper Mill rocks. This was the first paper mill in 
Connecticut. The annual output was about 1,300 
reams. 

92 CLOCKS AND WATCHES. Clocks and watches 

were manufactured by Thomas llarland in 1773. He 
employed ten or twelve hands and made annually 
tw^o hundred watches and forty clocks, which were 
pronounced equal to any imported from England. 

93 FULLING MILL. A fulling mill with clothier's shop 

and dye house went into operation near the present 
site of the Falls mill in 1773. 



222 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES 

Taverns. 

94 Caleb Abel, the third innkeeper of Norwich, probably 

came from Dedham ; he bought the Wade lot in 1677 ; 
was constable in 1684, townsman in 1689, and often 
thereafter ; enrolled among the dignitaries with title 
of Sergeant in 1702; married Margaret, daughter of 
John Post, 1669, and after her death married Mary 
Loomer; died Aug. 7, 1731. He was appointed inn- 
keeper under date of Dec. 18, 1694, as follows: "The 
towne makes choise of caleb abell to keep ordinari or 
a house of entertainment for this yeare or till another 
be choosen." 

95 Deacon Simon Huntington, the first of four successive 

generations of deacons, was the second innkeeper of 
Norwich. He was married to Sarah, daughter of 
Joseph Clarke, of Saybrook, in October, 1653 ; ap- 
pointed innkeeper 1690; died 1706, leaving an estate 
valued at 275 pounds, including a library of fourteen 
or fifteen volumes, of the value of about 30 shillings, 
which we are told was probably a fair library for a 
layman at that time. 

98 Joseph Reynolds, son of John Reynolds, the Founder, 
kept the ordinary in 1709. He was born in Norwich, 
March, 1660; married Sarah Edgerton 1688. 

97 Thomas Waterman, born 1644, came to Norwich in 
1659 with John Bradford, whose wife's nephew he 
was ; only townsman in 1675, '81, '84; made a freeman 
in 1681 ; died June i, 1708; buried in Society Burial 
Ground. He was appointed innkeeper in 1679. 
"Agreed and voted by ye town yt Thomas Waterman 
is desired to keep the ordinary. And for his encour- 
agement he is granted four akers of paster land 
where he can conveniently find it ny about the valley 
going from his house to the woods." 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 223 

98 Eleazer Lord's tavern on the corner of Town street and 

the New London turnpike was built about 1770 and 
for many years was frequented by the lawyers who 
came to Norwich to attend court. 

99 Joseph Peck's tavern on the east side of the Green, 

overshadowed by a large elm tree, among whose cen- 
tral boughs an arbor was formed and seats arranged, 
to which on public days friendly groups resorted and 
had refreshments served — a plank gallery being ex- 
tended from a window of the house to the bower as 
a means of access. 

100 Thomas Lefifingwell, the fourth innkeeper of Norwich, 
was given liberty to keep a "publique house of enter- 
tainment of strangers" in 1700. This tavern was 
continued for more than 100 years, and was at the 
east end of the town plot, and was a noted place of 
resort in war times. Married Mary Bushnell, Sept., 
1672; died March 5, iy2y'24, leaving an estate of 
nearly 10,000 pounds. The interesting features of 
this quaint old house, within and without, are re- 
markably well preserved. 

101 On the site of the present "Johnson home" was lo- 
cated Lathrop's tavern. Built in 1737 by Nathaniel 
Lathrop, its prosperity was maintained by his son, 
Azariah. From here was started the first stage coach 
to Providence in 1768. In 1829 the property was sold 
to the Union Hotel Company, who erected the pres- 
ent building, which was later used for a boarding 
school. 

102 Jesse Brown's tavern was erected in 1790 and its pro- 
prietor established a stage route from Boston to New 
York via Norwich. On August i, 1797, President 
John Adams and wife stopped over night here. In 
1855 the property was purchased by Moses Pierce, 
who later gave it to the United Workers for the 
Rocknook Children's Home. 



224 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

103 It is said that Capt. Samuel Bailey was jailor about 
1800, and the accommodations for the jail were on the 
second floor, and that on the first floor the captain 
kept what was called, "Cross Keys Tavern." 



Presidents of the United States. 

104 MILLARD FILLMORE. Capt. John Fillmore, son 

of John Fillmore, "Mariner" of Ipswich, Mass. ; born 
March 18, 1702. He married Nov. 24, 1724, Mary 
Spiller, and removed to Norwich West Farms ; died 
there Feb. 22, 1777. Capt. John's grandson was 
Nathaniel, whose eldest son was Millard, born Jan. 7, 
1800, in Summer Hill, N. Y. 

105 ULYSSES S. GRANT. On the site of the house of 

Herbert L. Yerrington stood the original Christopher 
Huntington homestead. After the death of the first 
Christopher this was inherited by his son, John (born 
1666) who married in 1686 Abigail, daughter of 
Samuel Lathrop. John had three daughters and two 
sons. One daughter, Martha, was married to Noah 
Grant, of Tolland, and became the ancestress of 
Ulysses S. Grant. 

Martha Huntington married June 12, 1717, Noah 
Grant, born Dec. 16, 1693. Their son, Noah, Jr., born 
July 12, 1718, married Susannah Delano, Nov. 5, 
1746. Their son, Noah, 3d, born June 20, 1748, mar- 
ried Rachel Kelly, March 4. 1792. Their son, Jesse, 
born Jan. 23, 1794, married Hannah Simpson, June 24, 
1821. Ulysses S. Grant was born April 27, 1822. 

106 RUTHERFORD B. HAYES. George Hayes left 
Scotland in 1680 and settled at Windsor, Conn., 1682. 
His great-great-great-grandson, Rutherford Hayes, 
settled at Brattleborough, Vt., and married in Sept., 
1813, Sophia Birchard. Her ancestry on the male 
line is traced to John Birchard, one of the thirty-five 



NOTES ON I'KRSONS AND PLACES. 225 

founders of Xorvvich. Both of her grandfatliers were 
soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Rutherford 
Hayes removed in 1817 to Delaware, Ohio, where he 
died five years later, leaving two children. On Oct. 
4, 1822, Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born three 
months after his father's death. 

107 JAMES A. GARFIELD. Was descendant of Major 
John Mason and Reverend James Fitch, who are 
recorded among the founders of Norwich (see Nos. 
14 and 23). 

108 GROVER CLEVELAND. William Hyde. Samuel 
Hyde married Jane Lee. John Hyde married Experi- 
ence Abel. James Hyde married Sarah Marshall. 
Abiah Hyde married Rev. Aaron Cleveland. Wil- 
liam Cleveland married Margaret Falley. Richard 
Falley Cleveland, born at Norwich, 19 June, 1805. 
He married Anne Neale, 10 Sept., 1820, of Baltimore. 
They removed to Holland Patent, New York, where 
he died ist Oct., 1853. Grover Cleveland was born 
at Holland Patent, 31 July, 1835 (see Nos. 48, 49, 78 
and 79). 

109 MRS. THEODORE ROOSEVELT. Edith Kermit 
Carow% born New York, Aug. 6. 1862, daughter of 
Charles and Gertrude Elizabeth (Tyler) Carow. She 
was married at St. George's Church, Hanover square, 
London, England, 1886, to Theodore Roosevelt. Her 
grandfather was General Daniel Tyler of Norwich 
(see No. 143). 



Other Men of Distinction. 

110 REV. HIRAM P. ARMS, D. D. Pastor and pastor 
emeritus First Congregational church 1836-1882. 
Born in Sunderland, Mass, 1799. Died at Norwich 
1882. 



226 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES 

111 MAJOR-GENERAL HENRY WARNER BIRGE. 

Born in Hartford, Aug. 25, 1825. Died in New York, 
July I, 1888. In the war for the Union he passed 
through the successive ranks from Major to Brevet 
Major-General. He rendered distinguished services 
at Irish Bend, in the Red River campaign, and led the 
forlorn hope at Port Hudson, and was actively en- 
gaged in battles of Winchester, Fisher's Hill and 
Cedar Creek. 

112 ISAAC HILL BROMLEY. Born Norwich, March 6, 

1833. Captain i8th Regt. Conn. Volunteers. Provost 
marshal. First editor Norwich Bulletin. Journalist. 
Humorist. Chief editor New York Tribune 1891- 
1898. Died at Norwich, Aug. 11, 1898. 

113 HON. WILLIAM ALFRED BUCKINGHAM. Born 

in Lebanon, Conn., May 28, 1804; died in 1875. Mayor 
of Norwich 1849-1850; 1856-1857. Presidential elector 
1856. Governor of Connecticut 1858-1866. U. S. 
Senator 1869-1875. Merchant, manufacturer, philan- 
thropist, generous benefactor of Yale University, the 
Broadway Church and Norwich Free Academy. 

114 THOMAS FANNING. Born at Norwich, Conn., July 

18, 1750; died May 24, 1812. Soldier in the Revolu- 
tion. Merchant. One of the donors of Chelsea Pa- 
rade 1791. 

115 LAFAYETTE SABIN FOSTER, LL.D. Born in 

Franklin, Conn.. Nov. 22, 1806; died in 1880. Gradu- 
ated Brown University 1828. Mayor of Norwich, 
i85i"'53- Speaker Connecticut House Representa- 
tives 1847. United States Senator 1854-1866. After 
death of President Lincoln, acting Vice-President of 
the United States. Professor of Law at Yale 1868. 
Judge Supreme Court of Connecticut 1870-1876. 
Benefactor of Yale University, Free Academy and 
Otis Library. "Great citizen, incorruptible senator, 
wise counsellor, eloquent advocate, righteous judge." 



NOTES OX PERSONS AND PLACES 22/ 

116 DANIEL COIT OILMAN, LL.D. Born in Norwich, 

July 6, 1831 ; died in Norwich, Oct. 13, 1908. Gradu- 
ated Yale 1852. Professor Yale College 1856- 1872. 
President University of California 1872-1875. Presi- 
dent Johns Hopkins University 1875-1901. President 
Carnegie Institution 1901-1904. Delivered historical 
address at Norwich bi-centennial celebration in 1859. 

117 WILLIAM CHARLES OILMAN. Born in Exeter, 

N. H., 1795; died in New York 1863. Came to Nor- 
Avich 1816. Established nail factory at the Falls. Ex- 
tended cotton manufacture from the Falls to Greene- 
ville and Bozrah. Identified for thirty years with the 
most important manufacturing, financial, educational 
and religious enterprises in the town. First president 
Norwich and Worcester railroad. Mayor in 1839. 

118 HON. CALVIN OODDARD. Born at Shrewsbury, 

Mass., 1768. Mayor of Norwich 1814-1831. Judge 
Supreme Court 1816. Member of Congress 1801-1805. 
Died in 1842. He lived on the corner of Washington 
street and Sachem street and owned several acres of 
land including the Indian burying place, and mill 
property at the Falls. 

119 WILLIAM PARKINSON GREENE. Born in Bos- 

ton 1795 ; died in Norwich 1864. He was graduated 
at Harvard in 1814; removed to Norwich in 1824; 
became largely interested in manufactures at the 
Falls and Grecneville and in the Norwich Water 
Power Co. He was Mayor in 1842; first president of 
Thames Bank ; original corporator Norwich and Wor- 
cester railroad ; second president and liberal benefac- 
tor of Norwich Free Academy. 

120 REV. JOHN PUTNAM GULLIVER, D.D. IJorn in 

Boston in 1819; died at Andover, Mass., 1894. Yale 
University 1840. D.D. Iowa University. President 
Knox College. Professor Andover Theological Semi- 



228 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

nary. Twenty years pastor Broadway Congrega- 
tional Church. Held in honored remembrance as chief 
promoter of the Norwich Free Academy. 

121 RUSSELL HUBBARD. Born Norwich 1785; died 

1857. Proprietor of Norwich Courier. Paper manu- 
facturer at Norwich Falls and Greeneville. A founder 
and vice-president of Norwich Savings Society. First 
president and generous benefactor of Norwich Free 
Academy. 

122 THOMAS STERRY HUNT, LL.D. Born at Nor- 

wich in 1826 ; died Feb. 12, 1892. Professor of chemis- 
try at McGill University, 1862- '68. Prof, of geology 
at Massachusetts Institute of Technology i872-'78. 
Presented with cross of the Legion of Honor at Paris, 
1855. Honorary member Royal Society of London 
1859. He invented a permanent green ink, first used 
for '"greenbacks." 

123 DEACON JABEZ HUNTINGTON. Born in Leba- 

non, Conn., 1767; died in Norwich 1848. He was 
president of the Norwich Bank and of the Norwich 
Savings Society. He and Hezekiah Perkins bought 
the land now known as the "Little Plain" on Broad- 
way in 181 1 and gave it to the city for a park. His 
house is now Mrs. H. H. Osgood's. 

124 CHARLES JAMES LANMAN. Born in Norwich, 

June 14, 1795. Yale graduate 1814. Receiver of pub- 
lic money for Michigan 1823-1831. Founder of Te- 
cumseh, Mich. Mayor of Norwich 1838. Died in New 
London. July 25, 1870. 

125 JAMES LANMAN. Born in Norwich, June 14, 1769; 

died Aug. 7, 1841. Yale graduate 1788. United 
States Senator 18 19- 1825. Judge Supreme Court of 
Connecticut. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 229 

126 DOCTOR DANIEL LATHROP. Born in Norwich 

1712; died in Norwich 1782. Yale College 1733. St. 
Thomas's Hospital, London, 1737. As an importer 
of drugs he and his brother, Joshua, built up a wide 
reputation and large estates for their day. He left 
£500 to Yale College; £500 to the first church in 
Norw^ich, and £500 to establish a school on the Nor- 
wich Town Green. "Many were the amiables that 
composed his character." 

127 DANIEL LATHROP. Born Norwich 1769; died 

1825. Yale College 1787. Was engaged in the drug 
business in Norwich. Son of Dr. Joshua Lathrop. 

128 DOCTOR JOSHUA LATHROP. Born Norwich 

1723; died Norwich 1807. Yale College 1743. Mer- 
chant; cotton manufacturer; public spirited citizen; 
one of the donors of Chelsea Parade to the inhabitants 
of Norwich and contributed generously for improve- 
ment of highways. "He devised liberal things and 
did them." 

129 DONALD GRANT MITCHELL (Ik Marvel). Born 

in Norwich in 1822 near present residence of the 
principal of the Norwich Free Academy. Died in 
New Haven 1908. Yale graduate and valedictorian 
1841. Distinguished author and landscape gardener. 
He delivered an oration at the bi-centennial celebra- 
tion in 1859. 

130 COLONEL GEORGE L. PERKINS. Born Norwich 

Aug. 5, 1788; died Sept. 5, 1888. Paymaster United 
States Army, War of 1812. For fifty years treasurer 
of Norwich and Worcester railroad. A well-known 
and prominent citizen of Norwich. In his great age, 
one hundred years and one month, "his eye was not 
dim, nor his natural force abated." 

131 CAPT. HEZEKIAH PERKINS. Born in Norwich 

1751; died 1822. He and Jabcz Huntington gave to 



230 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

the city in 181 1 the land now known as the "Little 
Plain" for a park. He lived in the house now owned 
by Mrs. Charles Coit. 

132 MAJOR JOSEPH PERKINS. A soldier of the Revo- 

lution. Member of the Committee of Safety in 1814. 
Prominent merchant ; public spirited citizen. He with 
Thomas Fanning and Joshua Lathrop gave Chelsea 
Parade to the inhabitants of Norwich for a park. He 
built the stone-house on Rockwell street in 1825. 

133 DR. DWIGHT RIPLEY. Born in Windham, Conn., 

in 1767; died in Norwich, 1835. A descendant of Gov. 
Wm. Bradford of Plymouth. He was actively en- 
gaged in business in Norwich for over forty years, and 
built up a large wholesale drug trade on present site 
of Lee & Osgood's store. He did much for the ad- 
vancement of Norwich and left a large family of sons 
and daughters who are held in honored remembrance. 

134 GENERAL ALFRED PERKINS ROCKWELL. 

Born in Norwich 1834; died in Boston 1903. Yale 
College 1855. Professor mining in Massachusetts 
Institute of Technology. Rendered distinguished ser- 
vices in the war for the Union, rising from the rank 
of captain to Brevet-Brigadier-General, and serving 
at James Island, Fort Darling, Bermuda Hundreds 
and Fort Fisher. 

135 CHARLES W. ROCKWELL. Born in Norwich 

1799; died in 1866. During his residence in Norwich 
he was distinguished for his liberality and public 
spirit. In 1833 he built the mansion on Broadway 
afterwards owned by John F. Slater. He was inter- 
ested in manufactures at Norwich Town ; was four 
years mayor of the city ; was three times elected to 
the State Legislature, and was for several years 
United States Commissioner of Customs at Wash- 
ington. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 23 I 

136 HON. JOHN A. ROCKWELL. Born in Norwich, 

Aug. 2-. 1803; (lied in Washington, Feb. 10, 1861. 
Yale graduate, 1822. Connecticut State Senator. 
Judge New London County Court. Representative 
United States Congress, 1845- 1849. Author of a work 
on Spanish law. Concerned in development of Laurel 
Hill. At the bi-centennial celebration in 1859 he de- 
livered an oration on Major John Mason. 

137 HON NATHANIEL SHIPMAN. Born 1773; died 

in Norwich 1853. An honored citizen of Norwich. 
He represented the town repeatedly in the State 
Legislature. In 1781 he ])lanted the row of elm trees 
in front of General Harland's house on Sentry Hill. 
He it was who identified the spot where Miantonomoh 
was captured by L^ncas, and when asked how he could 
remember it, said "it was no time to balk." His home 
was on the west side of Washington street. He was 
father of Rev. Thomas Lefifingwell Shipman and 
grandfather of Nathaniel Shipman, Judge of United 
States Circuit Court. 

138 MRS. LYDIA HUNTLEY SIGOURNEY. Born Nor- 

wich, 1791 ; died in Hartford, 1865. Teacher and 
author. By her numerous writings in prose and verse 
she achieved a literary fame not exceeded by that of 
any woman in the country. Her "Letters of Life" 
give charming pictures of her native town in the days 
of her youth. In early life she and Miss Nancy Maria 
Hyde taught a school in the house now of B. P. 
Bishop, 189 Broadway. 

139 JOHN FOX SLATER. Born in Rhode Island, March 

4, 1815; died in Norwich, May 7, 1884. Pro- 
prietor of the Slater cotton mills at Jewett City, 
Conn. Founder of the John F. Slater Fund ($1,000,- 
000) for the education of freedmen, for which he was 
presented with a gold medal by Congress in the name 
of the people of the United States. Benefactor of 



232 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

Park Church, the United Workers and the Norwich 
Free Academy. 

140 EDMUND CLARENCE STEDMAN, LL.D. Born 

in Hartford, Oct. 8, 1833; died in New York, Jan. 18, 
1908. Yale University 1853. Journalist, poet, man 
of letters. Many volumes of his poems and prose 
work appeared from i860 to 1908. He lived in Nor- 
wich from 1839 to 1853, ^^s early home being with 
his uncle. Deacon James Stedman, on Washington 
street near East Town street. 

141 HENRY STRONG, LL.D. Born in Norwich 1788; 

died in 1852. Yale University 1806. Declining other 
political honors than a brief term in the State Legis- 
lature, he devoted himself to the practice of law, in 
which he reached highly honorable distinction. 

142 REV. JOSEPH STRONG, D.D. Born in Coventry, 

Conn., 1753 ; died in Norwich 1834. For fifty-six years 
pastor of the first Church in Norwich. By his mar- 
riage with Mary Huntington he was closely allied 
with the distinguished Huntington generals of the 
Revolution. 

143 GENERAL DANIEL TYLER. Born in Brooklyn, 

Conn., Jan. 7, 1799; died Nov. 30, 1882. West Point 
graduate 1818. Made valuable reports on artillery in 
France; was Brigadier-General Connecticut Volun- 
teers, 1861 ; commanded at Bull Run ; in active ser- 
vice to 1864. He was grandfather of Mrs. Theodore 
Roosevelt. 

144 REV. JOHN TYLER. Born in Wallingford, Conn., 

1742; died in Norwich 1823. Ordained by the Bishop 
of London in 1768. Fifty- four years rector of Christ 
Church, Norwich. He was succeeded by the Rev. 
Seth B. Paddock, who held the office for twenty-two 
years, and died in Cheshire, Conn., in 1851. His 
sons, born in Norwich, were the Right Rev. John A. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 233 

Paddock, Bishop of Washington; the Right Rev. 
Benjamin H. Paddock, Bishop of Massachusetts; and 
Lewis S. Paddock, M.D,, for fifty years a physician 
in his native place. His grandson, the Right Rev. 
Robert L. Paddock, is the Bishop of Eastern Oregon. 

145 HON. JOHN TURNER WAIT, LL.D. Born in New 

London 181 1; died in Norwich 1899. State Attorney 
for New London County; member of Assembly and 
State Senate; member of Congress 1876 to 1887; for 
over sixty years one of the most distinguished 
lawyers of Connecticut. 

146 DAVID AMES WELLS, LL.D., D.C.L. Born in 

Springfield, Mass., June 17, 1828; died in Norwich 
1898. Graduate Williams College 1847; Harvard 
185 1. Special commissioner United States internal 
revenue 1866-1870; author; political economist; scien- 
tist. 

JOSEPH LANMAN. Born in Norwich in 181 1; died 
there in 1874. He entered the United States Navy 
as midshipman in 1825, passed with distinction 
through the successive ranks, notably in the war for 
the Union, v^^as made Rear Admiral in 1867, and 
retired from the service in 1872. 

RIGHT REV. ALFRED LEE, Bishop of Delaware. 
Born in Cambridge, Mass., 1807. Died in Wilming- 
ton, Del., 1887. By family ties he was identified 
with Norwich, where his father, Benjamin Lee, 
owned a large estate on the west side of Washing- 
ton street. His sister, Emily, was the wife of Gen. 
Daniel Tyler (No. 143). In early life he was 
admitted to the bar, and practiced law in New Lon- 
don county. He delivered an oration at the Bi-cen- 
tennial celebration in 1859, and was author of 
numerous theological works. 

HENRY B. NORTON. Born in Branford, Conn., in 
1807. Died in Norwich in I891. Through his long 



234 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

and successful career as merchant, manufacturer, and 
citizen, all measures for the development of material, 
religious, and educational atifairs found in him an 
earnest supporter and generous contributor. A lib- 
eral benefactor of the Norwich Free Academy. 

HUGH HENRY OSGOOD. Born in Southbridge, 
Mass., in 1821. Died in Manlius, New York, in 1899; 
for sixty years identified with the Lee & Osgood 
Company and most of the other important business 
enterprises in Norwich ; ten years Mayor ; forty years 
Treasurer of the Central School District ; Trustee and 
liberal benefactor of the Norwich Free Academy ; 
generous supporter of Park Church, the City Mission, 
and United Workers. 

JOSEPH OTIS. Born in Norwich in 1768; died there 
in 1854. After a successful business career in New 
York, he returned to Norwich at the age of seventy, 
and founded the Otis Library, and was also a founder 
and benefactor of the Free Academy. 



Other Places of Interest. 

147 SENTRY HILL ROAD. The first road passed over 

Sentry Hill back of the house now owned by Gen. 
Harland and came out in front of the house now 
owned by William H. Palmer. Four elm trees 
\n front of this house stand two on one side and two 
on the other side of this old highway. 

148 MILL LANE (Lafayette Street). Was for many 

years the only road from the town plot to the old 
landing below the falls. 

149 OLD LANDING PLACE. The first settlers landed 

at the head of navigation on the Yantic, below the 
falls, and that place for many years was the principal 
landing place. 



NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 235 

150 LEXINGTON ALARM. Jn front of the Christopher 

Letifingwell shop No. 8j near Sentry Hill stood a many 
branched elm tree, under which it is said the troops 
assembled, the day they marched to Lexington. 

151 BEAN HILL (at the west end of the Town Plot). 

Tradition says that before the settlement hungry and 
weary prospectors discovered pots of beans deposited 
in the earth which furnished them with a substantial 
meal, and that in remcni])rance thereof the inhabi- 
tants and their descendants to this day, all over the 
world, eat baked beans for their Saturday night 
supper. 

152 OLD WHIPPING POST. The old whipping post, 

pillory and jail stood near the south corner of the 
parsonage lot. 

153 MOHEGAN TURNPIKE. The road to New London 

was laid out as early as 1670, but was little better 
than an Indian trail. In 1792 it was made a turnpike, 
the first in the United States, the funds for its im- 
provement being raised by a lottery granted for the 
purpose by the Legislature. 

154 UNCAS MONUMENT. To Uncas, "the ancient 

friend" of the English people, sachem of the Mohegan 
Indians, who sold the original town plot to the first 
proprietors, and who died about 1682, the monument 
on Sachem street was erected in 1842 by the ladies 
of Norwich. Others of the royal family were buried 
near by. The gravestone of his descendant, Samuel 
Uncas, one of the last of the sachems, who died 
before the Revolution, is preserved in the Slater 
Memorial Building with this inscription : 
"For Beauty, wit, for Sterling sense, 
For temper mild, for Eliquence, 
For courage bold, for things Wauregan, 
He was the Glory of Mohegan, 
Whose death has Caused great lamentation, 
Both in ye English and ye Indian Nation." 

MIANTONOMO MONUMENT. (See page 30.) 



236 NOTES ON PERSONS AND PLACES. 

Historians of Norwich. 

FRANCES MANWARING CAULKINS. Born in 
New London 1795; died there in 1869. Her ancestry 
is traced to the early settlers of Plymouth, Mass. Her 
early life was spent in Norwich where she was a pupil 
of Lydia Huntley (Mrs. Sigourney). For fifteen 
years she was a highly successful teacher and 
manifested unusual talent for poetical and prose 
writing. Her "History of Norwich," published in 
1845, was re-written and extended in 1865 to a 
volume of 700 pages. The fruits of her indefatigable 
researches are household words with all who are 
interested in the history of the town. 

MARY E. PERKINS. Daughter of Edmund Perkins, 
a brilliant lawyer, and granddaughter of Francis 
Asher Perkins, one of the grand old men of Norwich, 
will be held in grateful remembrance for her invalu- 
able historical investigations long after the last of 
"The Old Houses of the Antient Town of Norwich," 
shall have disappeared from the face of the earth. 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX. 



PAGE 

Aiken, William A., president 
of Otis Library, 30 

President of Norwich Nickel 
and Brass Company, 41 

Almy, Dr. Leonard B., presi- 
dent Backus Hospital, 28 

American Revolution, Soldiers 
of, their names on Hub- 
bard gates, 31 

Amusement Committee, Nel- 
son J. Ayling, chairman, 59 

Appomattox, 12 

Appropriation, $5,000 from 

town, C4 

Aspinook Company, 40 

Automobile parade, 87 

Automobile Parade Commit- 
tee, Horatio Bigelow, 
chairman, 59 

Averill, John C, treasurer 

Otis Library, 30 

Ayling, Judge Nelson J., chair- 
man Amusement Commit- 
tee, 59 

Backus Hospital, 27 

Backus, William W., founder 
of hospital, 27 

Benefactor of Otis Library, 30 
Bacon, Leonard W., family of, 
give land for Mohegan 
Park, 38 

Banks, 46 

Bard, Charles, gives land for 

Mohegan Park, 38 

President Norwich Savings 
Society, 46 

Baret, Thomas 49 

Beecher, Henry Ward, Nor- 
wich "Star Paper", 10 
Beneficent Institutions, 26 
Bigelow, Horatio, chairman 

Automobile Committee, 59 



PAGE 

Bishop, Mrs. Ellen K., Chair- 
man Loan Exhibition 
Committee, 60 

Address at Memorial Foun- 
tain, 89 

Bishop, Rev. Edwin W., ad- 
dress at Memorial Foun- 
tain, 92 

Bliss, The Misses, give land 
for Mohegan Park, 38 

Bond, Mrs. Henry R., give 
land for Mohegan Park, 38 

Boswell, Charles, benefactor 
of Otis Library, 30 

Butts, Charles R., Chairman 
Finance Committee, 58 

Brainerd and Armstrong 
Company, 41 

Brewer, Arthur H., president 
of Hopkins and Allen 
Company, 41 

Address at Masonic Temple 
corner stone, 45 

Brewster, Bishop Chauncey B. 80 

Briscoe, Willis A., president 
Thames National Bank, 46 

Brown, Rev. J. Eldred, mana- 
ger Huntington Memorial 
Home, 27 

Historical sermon at Trinity 
Church, 180 

Buckingham, Gov. William A. 
presides at Bi-centennial, 11 
Tribute to, 13 

Benefactor of Free Academy, 47 

Buckingham Memorial, 13 

Buel, Mrs. Elizabeth B., ad- 
dress at Memorial Foun- 
tain, 88 

Butts, Henry L., establishes 
Chelsea File Works, 42 



238 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



PAGE 

Gary, F. W., president of 
Board of Trade, recom- 
mends action in regard to 
celebration, 53 

Chairman Printing and Pub- 
licity Committee, 59 
Bulletins of Board of Trade, 26 

Carey, Rev. Neilson Poe, 

Park Commissioner, 39 

Case, James L., Chairman 

Music Committee, 60 

Caulkins, Frances Manwaring, 

History of Norwich, 9-14 

Chandler, Charles E., Chair- 
man Literary Exercises 
Committee, 58 

Chapman, Charles B., treas- 
urer Chelsea Savings 
Bank, 47 

Charter, New, proposed and 
rejected, 21 

Chelsea File Works, 42 

Chelsea Parade, given to town 
of Norwich by Joseph 
Perkins, Thomas Fanning 
and Joshua Lathrop, 36 

Memorial stone placed by 
Alfred Perkins Rockwell 
and John A. Rockwell, 36 

Chelsea Savings Bank, 46 

Chester, Rev. Anson C, verses 

read by Henry A. Tirrell, 140 

Churches ; new buildings, 44 

Church, Lewis R., Chairman 

Hospitality Committee, 63 

Clapp, Edward T., author of 
name, "Rose of New 
England," 11 

Cleveland, Grover, address at 
Old Home Week celebra- 
tion, 26 

Cobb, Rev. Joseph F., histori- 
cal sermon at Universal- 
ist Church, 187 

Coit, Daniel Tyler, benefactor 

of Otis Library, 30 

Coit Elms, 38 

Colonial Dames of America, 
erect monument to Leff- 
ingwell, 35 



PAGE 

Colonial Wars, Society of, 
buys Miantonomo monu- 
ment, 33 

Committee of Arrangements, 

names of 54, 55, 56 

Consolidation of town and 

city proposed, 20 

Converse Art Gallery, 47 

Crescent Fire Arms Company, 41 



Dana, Rev. Malcolm McG., 
"Norwich in the Rebel- 
lion," 
Date of Celebration appointed, 

Date changed. 
Daughters of the American 
Revolution, memorial of 
French soldiers. 
Names of soldiers of Revo- 
lution, 
Marks residences of the 

Huntington generals, 
Fountain on Little Plain, 32-88 
Decorating Committee, Zebu- 
Ion R. Robbins, chairman. 
Dyer, Charles E., address at 
Masonic Temple corner 
stone. 



30 



31 



32 



60 



46 



Eccles, John, manager Pone- 

mah mill, 39 

Education and beneficence, 17 

Electric Light, 24 

Ewing, Rev. George H., invo- 
cation at Up-town Bury- 
ing Ground, 68 
Historical sermon at First 
Congregational Church, 178 
Executive Committee, names 

of, 58 

Proceedings of, 63 



Fanning, Joseph T., park 

commissioner, 39 

Fanning, Thomas, giver of 

Chelsea Parade to town, 36 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



239 



PAGE 

Finance Committee, Charles 

R. Butts, chairman, 58 

Financial Statement, 143 

Fire Department, 24 

Fire Department drill and 

parade, 87 

Fireworks Committee, Walter 

F. Lester, chairman, 60 

Fire Works on Rogers Hill, 87 
Fort Sumter, 12 

Foster, Martiia P., benefactor 

of Otis Library, 30 

Founders of Norwich, Society 

of, " 60 

Franklin Street Park pur- 
chased by City in 1859, 37 
French Soldiers of the Revo- 
lution, 30 
Fuller, Margaret W., Anni- 
versary hymn, 137 

Gale, Col. Charles W., cashier 

Thames National Bank, 46 
Grand Marshal of Parade, 82 
Treasurer General Commit- 
tee, 58 

Gallup, Henry H., president 
Crescent Fire Arms Com- 
pany, 41 

Garfield, President Harry A., 
address at Broadway 
Theater, 101 

Gilman, Daniel Coit, address 

at Norwich Bi-centennial, 9 

Gilman, Emily Serena, giver 
of Lowthorpe meadows, 38 

Gilman, Maria Perit, buys site 
of Miantonomo monu- 
ment, 33 

Gilman, William C. 66 

Gilman, William C, senior, 
proposed erection of mon- 
ument to Miantonomo, 33 

Goddard, Henry P., address at 

Hubbard gates, 32 

Goddard, Levi Hart 37 

Grand Army of Republic, 13 

Gray, Lloyd, at Leffingwell 

monument, 36 



PAGE 

41 



Green Company, M. J. 

Greene, Judge Gardiner, sec- 
retary Johnson Home, 

Greene, James Lloyd 

Greene, Mr. and Mrs. William 
P., benefactors of Free 
Academy, 

Greer, Rev. Jerome, historical 
sermon at Bean Hill 
Methodist Church, 

Gulliver, Dr. Frederic P., his 
maps of town and city. 
Chairman of Historical 

Committee, 
Chairman of special com- 
mittee for services at Up- 
town Burying Ground, 
Presides at meeting, 66-67 

Gulliver, Rev. Dr. John P., 

founder of Free Academy, 47 

Harland, Gen. Edward, presi- 
dent Backus Hospital, 
Gives land for Mohegan 
Park, 

Improvements at Sentry 
Hill, 

President Chelsea Savings 
Bank, 

President PIxccutive 
bration Committee, 
Resigns presidency, 
Harland, Henry 
Harriman, Dr. P. H., 
Commissioner, 
Chairman Public 

Committee, 
Chairman Procession Com- 
mittee, 
Headquarters Committee, So- 
ciety of Founders of Nor- 
wich, 

Historical Committee, Dr. F. 
P. Gulliver, chairman, 

Hopkins and Allen Company, 

Hospitality Committee. 

Howe, Rev. Dr. Samuel H., 
president Backus Hos- 
pital, 

Invocation at literary exer- 
cises, 100 



185 



60 



66 



28 



38 



43 



Cele- 

, Park 
Safety 



240 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



PAGE 

Hubbard, Charles L., presi- 
dent A. H. Hubbard Com- 
pany. 41 
Hubbard, James L. secretary 

A. H. Hubbard Company, 41 
Hubbard Paper Company, 40 

Hubbard, Russell, benefactor 

of Free Academy, 47 

Huntington, Benjamin, resi- 
dence in Christopher Lef- 
fingwell house, 43 

Huntington, Charles P., bene- 
factor of Otis Library, 30 
Huntington, Jabez, giver of 

Little Plain to City, 37,88 
Huntington, Jedediah 26 

Huntington, Margaret Baret 49 
Huntington Memorial Home, IIG 
Hunt, Thomas Sterry, at Mi- 

antonomo monument, 33 

Hutchison, William 48 

Industries of Norwich, 39 

Invitation Committee, Wil- 
liam H. Shields, chair- 
man, 59 
Invitations and Badges, 140 
Invited Guests, Letters from 198 

Jensen, Mrs. Martin E., sings 
at memorial of French 
soldiers, 30 

Johnson Home, 29 

Johnson, Oliver L., manager 
of Aspinook Company, 40 

Kaufman, Rev. Dr. M. S., 
historical sermon at Trin- 
ity Methodist Church, 196 

Keep, Robert Porter 48 

Keppler, George A., designs 

historical pageant, 80 

Kinney, Mrs. Sarah T., ad- 
dress at memorial of 
French soldiers, 30 

At Memorial Fountain, 94 

Lane, Louisa Gilman, buys 
site of Miantonomo mon- 
ument, 33 



PAGE 

Giver of Lowthorpe mead- 
ows, 38 
Lathrop Drug Store, 44 
Lathrop, Joshua, giver of 

Chelsea Parade to town, 36 
Lothrop, Rev. John 38 

Learned, Bela Peck, Commit- 
tee to buy Miantonomo 
monument, 33 

Speaks at Thomas Leffing- 
well monument, 35 

Learned, Mary, at Leffingwell 

monument, 36 

Lee, Bishop Alfred, address at 

Norwich Bi-centennial, 9 

Leffingwell Row, 43 

Leffingwell, Thomas 33 

Monument to, 35 

Lester, Frederick W., directs 
music at Up-town bury- 
ing ground, 67 
At literary exercises, 97 
Composes music for anni- 
versary hymn, 137 
Lester, Walter F., chairman 

Fireworks Committee, 60 

Lippitt, Mayor Costello, presi- 
dent Norwich Hospital, 28 
Treasurer Norwich Sav- 
ings Society, 46 
Chairman Ways and Means 

Committee, 59 

As Mayor accepts Memorial 

Fountain, 91 

Address of Welcome at lit- 
erary exercises, 100 
Literary Exercises Committee, 
Charles E. Chandler, 
chairman, 58 
At Broadway Theater, 97 
Little Plain, given to city of 
Norwich by Hezekiah 
Perkins and Jabez Hunt- 
ington, 37 
Loan Exhibit, 142-169 

Lowthorpe Meadows, given by 
Emily Serena Gilman and 
Louisa Gilman Lane, 38 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



241 



PAGE 



Lusk, Dr. William Thompson, 
address at William W. 
Backus Hospital, quoted, 



28 



McCrum-Hovvell Company, 42 
MacLane, Rev. Donald B., his- 
torical sermon at Taftville 
Congregational Church, 194 
Mail service, IR 

Maplewood Cemetery. 49 

Martin, J. B., company, 41 

Mason, Major John, corner 
stone of monument laid 
in Yantic Cemetery, 34 

Monument erected in Post 

and Gager burying ground, 34 
Rockwell's address, 34 

Wait. Meech and Devotion 
superintend erection of 
monument, 34 

Mason Monument Associa- 
tion incorporated, 3.') 
Masonic Temple, 45 
Meeting House Rocks, given 
to Norwich Rural Asso- 
ciation by Willis D. Per- 
kins, 37 
Memorial Fountain, exercises 

at, 87 

Miantonomo monument, 32 

Mitchell, Donald Grant, ad- 
dress at Norwich Bi-ccn- 
tennial, 9 

Mitchell, John, addresses Cen- 
tral Labor Union, 87 
Mohegan Park, 38 
Motley, John Lothrop, quoted, 18 
Music Committee, James L. 

Case, chairman, 60 



Northrop, Rev. Charles A., 
address at memorial of 
French soldiers, 30 

At Up-town burying ground, 73 
City Missionary, 27 

Norton, Henry B., benefactor 

of Free Academy, 47 

Norton, William A., park com- 
missioner, 39 



PACE 

New London County Tempo- 
rary Home, 29 
Nominating Committee, Wil- 
liam B. Young, chairman, .')8 
Norwich, a cluster of villages, 10 
Rose of New England, 11 
War for Union, 12 
Soldiers' monuments, 13 
Territory and population, 1') 
Presidential campaigns, 16 
Consolidation town and city, 20 
New Charter, 21 
Water supply, 21-22 
Street railways, 23 
Electric Light, 24 
Fire Department, 24 
Police Force, 2;j 
Board of Trade, 2!i 
Beneficent InstittUinns, 26 
Huntington Memorial, 26 
United Workers, 27 
Backus Hospital, 27 
Hospital for Insane, 28 
Johnson Home, 29 
New London Co. Tempo- 
rary Home, 29 
Otis Library, 29 
Daughters American Revo- 
lution, 30 
Miantonomo monument, 32 
Uncas monument, 33 
Mason monument, 34 
Leffingwell monument, 3.5 
Chelsea Parade, 36 
Little Plain, 37 
Meeting House Rocks, 37 
Lowthorpe meadows, 38 
Industries, 39 
Free Academv, 47 
Norwich. England. 49,142 
Quarter-millennium, 53 
Norwich Board of Trade 
favors Old Home Week 
and Quarter - millennial 
celebration, 53 
Takes action regarding cel- 
ebration, 53 
Norwich Bulletin, reports 
from, of the parade, 152 
Loan Exhibit, 169 
Sermons, 178 
Letters from invited guests, 198 



242 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



PAGE 

Norwich Compressed Air 

Power Company, 42 
Norwich, England, gift of 

cushion, 49 
Message of congratulation, 142 
Norwich Free Academy, 17, 47 
Benefactors of, 47 
Norwich Hospital for the In- 
sane, 28 
Norwich Nickel and Brass 

Company, 41 

Norwich Rural Association, 37 

Norwich Savings Society, 46 

Notes on Persons and Places, 204 

"No time for me to balk," 34 

Otis, Joseph, founder of Li- 
brary, 29 
Otis Library. 29 
Old Home Week Celebration, 26 

Parade, Civic and Military, 152 

Parker, Henry F., park com- 
missioner, 39 

Parks in Norwich, 36 

Perkins, Hezekiah, giver of 
Little Plain to city, ^T 

Perkins, Joseph, giver of Chel- 
sea Parade to town, 36 

Perkins, Mary E., Old 

Houses of Norwich, 9 

Perkins, Rev. J. Newton, his- 
torical sermon at Christ 
Church, 186 

Perkins, Willis D., gives Meet- 
ing House Rocks to Rural 
Association, 37 

Pierce, Moses, promotes man- 
ufacturing industries, 39 
Benefactor of Free Acad- 
emy, 47 

Police Force, 25 

Pollock, Dr. Henry M., resi- 
dent physician Norwich 
Hospital, 28 

Ponemah Mill, 39 

Porter, George Shepard. ad- 
dress at memorial of 
French soldiers, 30 



Deciphers stone records in 
burying ground, 32 

Pratt, Rev. Dr. Lewellyn, ad- 
dress at Up-town burying 
ground, 68 

Invocation at Memorial 

Fountain, 88 

Reads Stedman's verses at 
Literary Exercises, 140 

Prentice, Judge Samuel O., 
address at Broadway 
Theater, 119 

Preston, Charles H., chairman 
Transportation Commit- 
tee, 61 

Printing and Publicity Com- 
mittee, Frederic W. Cary, 
chairman, 59 

Procession Committee, Dr. P. 

H. Harriman, chairman, 61 

Program Committee, Winslow 

T. Williams, chairman, 59 

Program, The Official, 145 

Public Buildings, new, 46 

Public Safety Committee, Dr. 
P. H. Harriman, chair- 
man, 61 

Quarter-millennial Celebra- 
tion, 53 
Call for public meeting, 54 
Signers of call, 54 
Committee of arrangements, 54 

Ray, G. Avery 79 

Raymond, Gilbert S., secretary 
first public meeting for 
celebration, 54 

Secretary of Executive 
Committee, 57 

Reception Committee, Wins- 
low Tracy Williams, 
chairman, 60 

Reynolds, Mrs. Henry L., 
gives land for Mohegan 
Park, 38 

Ricketts, Rev. C. H., historical 
sermon at Greeneville 
Congregational Church, 191 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



243 



PAGE 

Ripley, Hannah Lathrop, ad- 
dresses alumni of Free 
Academ}', 13 

Rip Van Winkle, 11 

Roath. Mrs. Frank A., pre- 
sides at Hubbard gates, 30 

Robbins, Zebulon R., chair- 
man Decorations Com- 
mittee, 60 

Rockwell, John Arnold, ad- 
dress at Norwich Bi-cen- 
tennial, 9 

Rockwell, Dr. John A., placed 
Memorial stone in Chelsea 
Parade. 36 

Gives land for Mohegan 
Park, 38 

Rose of New England, 10, 11 



Sayles. Frederick T. 66 

Schools Committee, Henry A. 

Tirrell, chairman, 61 

Sedgwick Post, G. A. R., 13 

Sermons, 178 

Services at Up-town burying 

ground, 66 

and pages following. 
Shannon Building, 45 

Shannon, James B. 45 

Shields, William H., chairman 

Invitation Committee, 59 

Shipman, Arthur Leffingwcll, 

address at Leffingwcll 

monument, 35 

At Broadway Theater, 108 

Shipman. Judge Nathaniel, 

quoted, 10, 14 

Shipman, Nathaniel, senior, 

identifies place where 

Miantonomo was captured 33 

Shipman, Rev. Thomas Lef- 
fingwcll, 34 

Singers at Up-town burying 

ground, 67 

Slater Museum, memorial of 

John Fox Slater, 47 

Slater. William A., benefactor 

of Backus Hospital, 27 

Address at its opening, 28 



PACE 

Honorary president of. 28 
Benefactor of Free Acad- 
emy, 47 
Builds Slater Memorial, 47 
Tribute to his munificence, 48 
Smith, Elbridge 48 
Smith, J. Hunt, gives land for 

Mohegan Park, 38 
Soldiers' Monument, 13 
Soldiers of American Revolu- 
tion, names of, 31 
Spaulding's Pond, bought for 

Mohegan Park, 38 
Stedman, Edmund Clarence, 
"The Inland City," read 

by Rev. Dr. Pratt, 140 
Stedman, John W., report of 

Norwich Bi-centennial, 9 

Stcrry. Carolyn A. 37 

Street Railways, 23 



Taft, President William H., 

arrives in Norwich, 80 

Witnesses historical pageant, 80 
Received at Rockclyffe by 
Mr. and Mrs. Winslow T. 
Williams, 81 

Escorted by procession to 

Chelsea Parade, 82 

Delivers address there. 82 

Holds public reception at 
Buckingham Memorial, 87 

Returns to Mr. Williams' 

home, 87 

Sees fireworks from Jail 

hill, 87 

Departs bv night train for 

New York. 87 

Telegraph and Telephone, 16 

Thames National Bank, 46 

Thayer. Judge John M., see 

Johnson Home. 29 

Thayer, Mayor Charles F.. 
proposed the Old Home 
Week celebration, 26 

Address at Hubbard Gates, 32 
"The Best Citizens of Nor- 
wich," 48 



244 



ALPHABETICAL INDEX 



Recommends Quarter-mil- 
lennial celebration, 53 

President of Executive 
Committee, 57 

Resigns presidency, 57 

Thayer, Rev. W. T., historical 
sermon at First Baptist 
Church, 184 

Town Hall, new, 43 

Tirrell, Henry A., park com- 
missioner, 39 
Principal Free Academy, 48 
Chairman Schools Commit- 
tee, 61 
Reads Rev. A. G. Chester's 
poem at Literary Exer- 
cises, 140 
Tracy. Edwin A., Secretary 
Norwich Nickel and 
Brass Company, 41 
Chairman first public meet- 
ing for celebration, 54 
Chairman Executive Com- 
mittee, 58 
Member, ex-officio, of all 
sub-committees, 63 
Transportation Committee, 
Charles H. Preston, chair- 
man, 61 
Treanor, Rev. Hugh, High 
Mass at St. Patrick's 
Church, 185 
Trumbull, Jonathan, tradition 

of Rose of New England, 11 

Librarian Otis Library, 30 

Address at Hubbard gates, 32 

Committee to buy Mianto- 

nomo monument, 33 

Uncas Paper Company, 42 

Uncas Power Company, Hyde 

Electric Plant, 42 

United States, increase of ter- 
ritory and population, 15 
Facilities for transportation, 15 
United States Finishing Com- 
pany, 40 
United Workers of Norwich, 27 
Up-town burying ground, ser- 
vices at, 66 



PAGE 

Ushers at Up-town burying 
ground, 67 



Washington, George 

Water Supply, 

Ways and Means Committee, 
Costello Lippitt, chairman. 

Weeks, Governor Frank B., 
presents the President to 
assembly at Chelsea Pa- 
rade, 

Williams, Capt. Erastus, pres- 
ident Norwich Bleaching 
Company, 
Founder of Yantic Woolen 
Mill, 

Williams, E. Winslow, re- 
builds Yantic Woolen 
Mill, 

Williams, Gen. and Mrs. Wil- 
liam, benefactors of Free 
Academy, 

Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Wins- 
low Tracy, receive the 
President at Rockclyffe, 

Williams, Winslow Tracy, 

president Backus hospital. 

President Yantic Woolen 

Company, 
President general celebra- 
tion committee. 
Chairman programme com- 
mittee 
Chairman Reception Com- 
mittee, 
Presides at Literary Exer- 
cises and makes address, 

Woodhull, Elizabeth B., bene- 
factor of Otis Library, 

Woodman, R. Huntington, 
organ recital. 



12 
21 



59 



40 



40 



40 



47 



28 



40 



59 



57 



60 



97 



30 



140 



Yantic Woolen Mill, 40 

Yerrington, Herbert L., organ 

recital, 79 

Young, John T., Boiler Com- 
pany, 42 

Young, William B., chairman 

Nominating Committee, 58 



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